Fernando Serna Candelas Dies After Incarceration in El Paso, Texas Jail

The El Paso County Sheriff’s Department, in El Paso, Texas, filed a report with the State of Texas regarding the death of Fernando Serna Candelas. Mr. Candelas was only 21 years old at the time of his death. We provide in this post information we obtained from that report.

The summary portion of the report reads in its entirety:

“On 06-30-21 at approximately 0410 hrs. officers received an emergency call via intercom from an unknown inmate in cell block 790 stating that there was an inmate that did not look well. Officers responded to the cell block and observed inmate Candelas A.K.A. OLIVAS, Fernando laying on the top bunk with vomit coming out of his mouth. Officers activated medical services and proceeded to remove the inmate from the top bunk and placed him on the floor. C.P.R. was started on the inmate. 0413 hrs. Medical staff arrived and continued C.P.R. an A.E.D. was deployed with negative results. 0427 hrs. E.M.S. arrived and took over the scene and continued C.P.R. At approximately 0433 E.M.S. left the floor with inmate to a local area hospital(Las Palmas). At approximately 0509 Candelas was pronounced dead at the Hospital.”

The report also indicates that Mr. Candelas allegedly did not make any suicidal statements, did not exhibit any mental health problems, did not receive any medical treatment, and did not exhibit any medical problems. The report does not provide when Mr. Candelas was originally incarcerated, whether he had been observed, and anything regarding information obtained by the jail at the time of intake.

Inmates in Texas jails are entitled to receive reasonable medical care and be protected from themselves and others. These guarantees arise under the United States Constitution. If a person’s constitutional rights are violated, and that person dies in a jail, then certain surviving family members may have claims related to that death.

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