A 23-year-old Denver man, who had been in a coma since being put in a chokehold Saturday night by a bouncer, died early Tuesday morning after life support was removed, his family said.

Life support was removed around 4 a.m. Tuesday for Sammy Joe Pickel II, according to Bridgette Kimball, 45, the mother of Pickel’s fiancée, Suzette Meacham.

Pickel had been in a coma since Saturday night when a bouncer placed him in a chokehold at Lodo’s Bar and Grill, she said.

“It is the most horrific thing I’ve ever heard of,” Kimball said.

No charges have been filed while detectives interview witnesses and review restaurant video footage and the coroner determines the cause of death, said Kate Kazell, spokeswoman for the Westminster Police Department.

It all started when a woman at the bar slapped Pickel on the buttocks. Meacham was quoted by Denver7 as saying that she told the woman “that wasn’t cool.”

The woman walked away but soon returned with three men who picked a fight with Pickel, Meacham told the TV station.

Kazell said bouncers at the sports bar stepped in to break up a “disturbance” and one of the bouncers grabbed Pickel around the neck.

“He was placed in some sort of headlock and went unconscious,” Kazell said.

A Westminster detective is investigating to determine whether charges are warranted against anyone, Kazell said.

A manager of the bar declined to comment Tuesday.

Kimball said bouncers should not use chokeholds.

“It’s wrong definitely,” she said. “It’s absurd.”

Kimball said her daughter and Pickel have been together for 2½ years. Pickel delivered medical screens for Quest Diagnostics, she said.

Meacham met Pickel after her father died five years ago, Kimball said.

“He was her rock. Her foundation,” she said. “He was saving up to get her a wedding ring because he said she deserved the best in the world.”

Kirk Mitchell: 303-954-1206, kmitchell@denverpost.com or @kirkmitchell or denverpost.com/coldcases