Kenderick Jackson Dies After Being in Euless Jail
The Euless Police Department, in Texas, filed a report regarding the custodial death of Kenderick Jackson. Mr. Jackson was only 38 years old at the time of his death. We provide in this post information we obtained from that report, and we make no allegation of any wrongdoing against anyone.
The report indicates that Mr. Jackson’s initial custody was at 7:21 a.m. on November 30, 2022, and that he passed away at 12:14 p.m. on November 30, 2022. The summary portion of the report reads in its entirety:
“On November 30, 2022 at approximately 0721 hours, Officers responded to QT located at 105 Westpark Way in Euless, TX 76040 in reference to a Welfare Check. The complainant stated a subject, later identified as Jackson, Kenderick Jackson (b/m XX/XX/84) was slurring his speech. Jackson was determined to be intoxicated and it was discovered he had stolen items from the store. He was placed under arrest for Public Intoxication and Theft under $100. He was transported to the Euless Jail for booking. Jackson was brought into the Euless Jail located at 1102 W. Euless Blvd, Euless, TX 76040 for booking, but due his intoxication level, he was not immediately processed. He was placed into a cell and checked on. During a check, Jackson was found to be unresponsive. Officers and jail staff performed CPR on Jackson until Euless FD Medics arrived. Jackson was transported to HEB Hospital located at 1600 Hospital Parkway Bedford, TX where he was pronounced deceased.”
The medical cause of death listed in the report is “pending.” The report also blames Mr. Jackson for his own death.
The United States Constitution requires those who have a person in custody, including police officers and jailers, to protect that person and provide reasonable medical care. If a person is, for example, severely intoxicated, to the extent the person could suffer serious injury or death, it is incumbent upon jailers and/or officers to obtain a medical evaluation. Case law has been clear that, regarding a person who may be detoxing from alcohol or drugs, that it is insufficient to simply leave a person in a holding cell for the person to “sober up.”
Notwithstanding what happened to Mr. Jackson, as a general matter, if jailers, EMS personnel, or police officers are deliberately indifferent to medical needs of a person in their care, and a person dies as result, then certain surviving family members may be able to file a federal civil rights lawsuit. Our law firm is handling a number of such lawsuits across Texas.
Dean Malone
Dean Malone