Man Dies in Custody of Hamlin Police Department in Texas (Northwest of Abilene)

The Hamlin Police Department recently filed a custodial death report with the Attorney General of Texas regarding the death of Delbert Lewis McNiel.  Mr. McNiel was 48 years of age at the time he died.  Information obtained in this post was obtained from that report, and we make no allegations of any wrongdoing.  Instead, we are simply providing information.

Hamlin Police allegedly received a call regarding Mr. McNiel being in the street with a flashlight, presumably throwing items in a local business parking lot.  Officers responded to the scene and believed that Mr. McNiel was under the influence of some substance.  Police officers feared for Mr. McNiel’s safety and public safety and arrested him.  Allegedly, Mr. McNiel became very combative.  Officers called for back-up assistance to further restrain Mr. McNiel for transport to a jail which officers alleged was approximately 18 miles away.  At some point, after Mr. McNiel was subdued with an electronic weapon, he physically devolved to a situation requiring CPR.  EMS performed CPR and transported him to a local hospital.  Mr. McNiel died at that local hospital.  The Texas Rangers are investigating the death.

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.