The Dallas County Sheriff’s Department filed a custodial death report (CDR) about Shamond Titas Lewis on October 10, 2022. Mr. Lewis, age 24, died in the custody of Dallas County Jail in Dallas, Texas, on September 29, 2022. He had been strapped into a restraint chair when he became unresponsive in the jail on September 23, 2022, which was the day after he was incarcerated. The address of Dallas County Jail is 133 N. Riverfront Blvd. in Dallas TX 75207. The address of Parkland Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased by a physician, is 520 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas TX 75235.

Applying Restraints on a Combative Inmate

The Oregon county policies on the use of restraints include a description of how to put restraints on a combative inmate. The first responding deputy will apply the restraint that is most suitable to address immediate security and safety concerns. Once the inmate is under the deputies’ control, the restraint will be adjusted so that neither blood flow nor breathing is restricted. Deputies will avoid applying prolonged pressure on the inmate’s airway or torso while applying restraints. As soon as responders get control of the situation, a shift supervisor may decide the need for different or additional restraints.

The instructions further state that deputies must use care to have the restraint fit snugly when placing a restraint on a non-combative inmate. The restraint must not be so tight, however, that it restricts blood flow.

Learn more in Part 1 and this ongoing series.

This website seeks to help inmates now or previously detained in a county or municipal Texas jail. Making allegations of wrongdoing against people or institutions is never intended on this site.

–Guest Contributor