Several Inmate Deaths in the Galveston County, Texas Jail in a Short Period of Time

We write to follow up on our earlier post regarding the death of a 30-year-old inmate in the Galveston County, Texas jail. Another prisoner in that jail died on July 6, 2018. Information in this post about that death was obtained from a custodial death report filed with the Attorney General of Texas by the Galveston County Sheriff’s Department.

Kirk Andrew Swartz was only 53 years of age at the time of his death. He was originally arrested on July 5, 2018 at approximately 9:22 a.m., and he died on July 6, 2018 at approximately 4:30 p.m. Mr. Swartz was observed sitting in the jail’s holding cell in apparent distress. He then fell over into a laying position. Jail medical personnel and ultimately EMS responded. He was then transported to the UTMB emergency department, where he later passed away.

The custodial death report does not list the cause of his death. However, it indicates that he did not appear to be intoxicated, did not exhibit any mental health problems, and did not exhibit any medical problems.

Another inmate at the Galveston County, Texas jail passed away not long before. Barry Edward Phillips was originally incarcerated in the jail on December 18, 2017. He died on December 22, 2017. Information in this post regarding his death was obtained from a custodial death report filed with the Attorney General of Texas.

On December 14, 2017, Mr. Phillips, while incarcerated at the jail, complained of having trouble breathing. He was then transported to jail medical personnel for evaluation. EMS were called to the scene, and Mr. Phillips’ condition worsened to the point that he had to have CPR administered to him in the EMS van. He was treated for several days at a local hospital, after which he was removed from a ventilator.

Not long before Mr. Phillips’ death, on November 12, 2017, another Galveston County, Texas jail inmate died. Information about that incident was also obtained from a custodial death report filed with the Attorney General of Texas.

Jerry Louise Hill was arrested on or about August 8, 2017, and he died on November 15, 2017. While he was in the Galveston County jail, on November 12, 2017, he displayed signs of heavy breathing. The on-duty deputy contacted jail medical for assistance. EMS was then called, and Mr. Hill was transported to the University of Texas Medical Branch. He was admitted to ICU, and he passed away just a few days later. An investigation of Mr. Hill’s death was conducted by the Texas Rangers.

It is very common in Texas for the Texas Rangers to investigate custodial deaths – for those deaths occurring in county jails or city holding facilities. Texas Rangers do not generally conduct investigations to determine whether someone is liable for civil claims, but rather to determine whether any criminal conduct occurred. Nevertheless, Texas Rangers reports can be helpful in determining whether any constitutional violations occurred with regard to any particular situation.

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