Brandon Pacheco Calzada Dies in El Paso County, Texas Jail

The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, in El Paso, Texas, filed a report regarding the death of inmate Brandon Pacheco Calzada. Mr. Calzada was only 23 years old at the time of his death. We provide information we obtained from that report, and we make no allegation of any wrongdoing against anyone.

The summary portion of the report reads in its entirety:

“On 12/16/2021 CALZADA, Brandon Pacheco was booked into the El Paso Detention Facility Downtown Facility at 9:16 pm. Calzada was assigned to the 5th floor Cell 70 Left 2 for COVID quarantine. Calzada was 1 of 4 persons assigned to Left 2. Investigators while interviewing the other inmates in the cell that Calzada had made a comment that he had taken some pill and could someone wake him up for breakfast if he was still asleep. At 0448 hrs. Patrol Officers were call to the facility to recover some pills that were located and discovered in Calzada’s property after he was assigned to the 5th floor cell. Patrol Officers arrived at the facility at 0457hrs. and requested that Calzada be escorted for an interview on the 2nd floor. At 0510 hrs. Detention Officer C. Martinez arrived at 570 and called out for Calzada, he was told by another inmate that Calzada was asleep and not responding. D.O. Martinez entered the cell and discovered Calzada on top of a bunk his skin pale and he was gasping for air. D.O. Martinez requested a Supervisor and Medical staff to the floor. At 0516 hrs. Medical staff arrive and administer first aid, 0527 Ambulance personnel arrive and Calzada is transported to a local area hospital. Calzada is admitted to the hospital and placed on life support (Ventilator). Calzada remained in the hospital until 12/24/2021 @ 2158 hrs. Life support was terminated and Calzada was pronounced dead by Dr. Raul Isern. Investigation is ongoing, Autopsy results are pending.”

The report also indicates that Mr. Calzada did not make any suicidal statements and did not exhibit any mental health problems. The report does not indicate anything about periodic observations of Mr. Calzada, as required by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards.

The 14^th Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees the right of pretrial detainees to receive reasonable medical care and mental health care. If those rights are violated, and a person is injured or dies as a result, then a lawsuit may sometimes be filed.

Written By: Dean Malone

Dean Malone

Dean Malone is the founder of Law Offices of Dean Malone, P.C., a jail neglect civil rights law firm. Mr. Malone earned his bachelor's degree at the University of Texas at Dallas, graduating summa cum laude with a 4.0 GPA, and from Baylor University School of Law with a general civil litigation concentration. Mr. Malone served in several staff positions for the Baylor Law Review, including executive editor. Mr. Malone is an experienced trial lawyer, trying a number of cases to jury verdict and also handling arbitrations through final hearing. He heads the jail neglect section of his law firm, in which lawyers litigate cases involving serious injury and death resulting from jail neglect and abuse. Lawyers frequently refer cases to Mr. Malone due to his focus on this very complicated civil rights practice area.