Texas Surratt had been detained in Nueces County Jail in Corpus Christi, Texas, when he died on July 24, 2023. More of the detailed notes from the custodial death report (CDR) about the events surrounding Mr. Surratt’s death follow: While Mr. Surratt was being wheeled out of the cell, medical staff attempted to obtain a blood pressure reading but were unsuccessful.

Mr. Surratt’s pulse was very faint and at that time Registered Nurse (RN) Normajean Bullard, assisting Nurse Fernandez, directed officers to place Mr. Surratt on his back and onto the floor. Nurse Fernandez then began administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The automated external defibrillator (AED) was retrieved, and pads were placed on Mr. Surratt’s chest, but did not call for “shock” to be used. Emergency medical services (EMS) were called, and extra medical staff arrived to assist. Mr. Surratt was reportedly making sounds and swatting away at nurses as they attempted to place an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth.

A Detainee at Nueces County Jail Commits Suicide

Eddie Garcia, age 29, was booked into Nueces County Jail in San Antonio, Texas, at 1:19 a.m. on June 10, 2021.  Tragically, he did not live another 66 hours because he was found with bed linen around his neck and apparently died of asphyxia by strangulation. The date and time of death of Eddie Garcia was June 12, 2021, at 7:16 p.m. The CDR indicates that he did not make suicidal statements during the intake process.

See Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 of this continuing series.

Helping Texas jail detainees and their families with resources is one of the purposes of this website. There is no intention of suggesting that people or organizations have been involved in misdeeds.

–Guest Contributor