PRINCIPAL OFFICE: DALLAS, TEXAS: (214) 670-9989 | TOLL FREE: (866) 670-9989

Texas Attorney – A 34-Year-Old Man Has an Altercation with Jailers and Dies From Sustained Injuries

A family is facing the holidays without a 34-year-old loved one who died in a jail outside Texas, and they have made complaints against the jail based on video evidence. On the day that the 34-year-old was arrested, an altercation with jailers resulted in his being hospitalized. He died from his injuries two days later.

Among the alleged facts is that fifteen hours after being booked into jail, the man was alone in a cell, completely unclothed, and behaving irrationally and aggressively. One jailer said that when he tried to provide the inmate’s dinner tray, the food was refused and the inmate began taunts that the jailer said were evidence of mental problems.

Allegedly, the jailer placed his taser through the food slot and threatened the inmate with tasing. The inmate allegedly tried to knock the taser from the jailer’s hand but failed.

The following are more of the alleged events:

  • Two jailers opened the inmate’s cell door and the inmate attempted to escape.
  • The inmate and a jailer had an altercation
  • A third jailer went to the scene, jumped onto the inmate’s back, used a chokehold on the inmate, and pulled him onto the floor.
  • Three additional jail employees arrived at the scene. Allegedly, they, along with the original jailer who stuck the taser into the cell, tased and struck him repeatedly.
  • After the inmate was handcuffed, he was face-down on the floor and obviously unresponsive. Jailers can allegedly be seen pressing down on the inmate’s neck and back.
  • An attempt to resuscitate the inmate was made, but it failed. The inmate was then transported to a nearby hospital. Reports show that he had multiple bruises and cuts, including a black eye and large contusion on the left side of his head, fractures of multiple ribs, a spine fracture, and acute kidney injury.

The inmate never showed any spontaneous movements after the altercation with the jailers. It was confirmed in the hospital that he was brain dead. Life support was removed, and he died from the injuries he had suffered in the altercation.

Among the constitutional rights of inmates is the right not to be handled aggressively or with unreasonable or excessive force.

The purpose of all posts on this website is to assist Texas prisoners, current and former, as well as their families. At no time is it intended to imply that a person or institution has in any way engaged in wrongs.

–Guest Contributor

author avatar
smchugh

Texas Abuse Lawyer – Inmate Deaths in County Jails Across the U.S. Cause Widespread Devastation – Part 9 of 9

iStock 935824486
Prison cells in big jail and security guard.

To address problems associated with custodial deaths, some jails have made adjustments, including the following:

  • Improved staff training
  • Four additional hours of suicide prevention training for jail staff
  • Additional mental health staff
  • Add a registered nurse to the staff
  • Suicide-resistant mattresses in cells
  • Larger monitor for guards to surveil troubled inmates
  • Track cell checks with an electronic system instead of paper logs
  • Synchronized jail clocks to monitor inmates at correct intervals
  • Replace blankets with tear-resistant blankets

Jails in Texas have also made changes to address the common problems jails face today. The following are among the actions being taken at certain jails:

  • A specially trained group of deputies roam the jail for the purpose of identifying inmates who may be suicidal.
  • A sheriff began working with county officials to determine which nonviolent mentally ill inmates are only in jail because they were unable to pay the $250 bond.
  • In one county, a pilot program was launched giving inmates access to a suicide hotline.

Find out more in Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, and Part 8 of this nine-part series.

Inmates have constitutional rights that cannot be denied because they have been incarcerated. Reasonable medical care is among inmates’ rights, as is not having excessive and unreasonable force used on them by jailers.

The purpose of all posts on this site is to help Texas inmates, current and former, as well as their families. At no time is it intended to suggest that a person or institution has in any way engaged in misdeeds.

–Guest Contributor

author avatar
smchugh