Six deputies with a north-central Georgia sheriff’s office will not be charged in the death of a mentally ill inmate who was held overnight at the jail.
Clayton County Sheriff’s Office deputies face charges of involuntary manslaughter, negligence and violating their oath of office following the November death of 38-year-old Terry Lee Thurmond III of Hopeville, Georgia. Her death was ruled a homicide by the county medical examiner’s office.
A grand jury declined to indict on Tuesday but did not provide a reason, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
Clayton County District Attorney Tasha Mosley said she was disappointed with the grand jury’s decision “but we respect their decision after hearing all the evidence.”
Clayton County sheriff’s deputies were trying to stop Thurmond from jumping from the second floor of the jail on Nov. 28, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said. During the incident, Thormund was knocked over during a struggle and died.
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A grand jury has declined to indict six deputies in the death of a mentally ill inmate at a Georgia prison.
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According to the Clayton County Medical Examiner’s Office, jailers restrained him by placing “hands, knees and their weight” on him “while he lay face down for approximately 10-15 minutes.” Minutes later, Thurmond was found unresponsive and later pronounced dead at an area hospital, the medical examiner’s office said.
The paper cited the medical examiner as reporting that Thurmond had a history of bipolar, paranoid schizophrenia and high blood pressure. He was arrested the day before his death on charges of criminal trespass after entering secured areas at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport without a ticket. Atlanta police “also obtained a warrant for a probation violation out of Fulton County,” the newspaper said.
Thurmond’s sister, Lateral England, said in a statement that her family was devastated by the grand jury’s decision, adding that “the system is broken.”
“These officers weighed a total of at least 1,000 pounds and sat on his back and neck until he was lifeless,” he said. “Where is the justice for his mother, siblings and children? When will this madness end?”
The sheriff’s office announced in December that it had fired six deputies following an investigation into Thurmond’s death.
Source by [Fox News]
