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Seven Sheriff’s officers from Collin County, Texas were fired Thursday in connection with the death of Marvin D. Scott III, a 26-year-old black man who died after being held in county jail last month.
“The evidence I have seen confirms that these detention officers violated well-established policies and procedures of the sheriff’s office,” Sheriff Jim Skinner said in a statement, adding that an eighth officer had resigned.
Police in Allen, Texas, just north of Dallas, arrested Mr. Scott on a charge of possession of marijuana on March 14. He had less than two ounces of the drug, authorities said – a misdemeanor.
Police say they took Mr Scott to hospital because he was acting erratically. He was then taken to the county jail, where county officers detained him and sprayed him with pepper. A hood was placed over his head. He died later that night.
Every night for more than two weeks, members of Mr. Scott’s family have gathered to protest outside the Collin County Jail, demanding transparency and accountability.
“We want to know, how did my son die?” Mr. Scott’s mother, LaSandra Scott, said at a press conference last week, according to NBC 5. “We want answers.”
Mr Scott was diagnosed with schizophrenia and sometimes used marijuana as a form of self-medication when his prescription drugs were not working well, according to S. Lee Merritt, an attorney representing the family.
Amy Gruszecki, a medical examiner who performed a second autopsy on Mr Scott after his body was examined by the Collin County medical examiner, told the press conference that based on her preliminary findings it was possible that asphyxiation, as well as a struggle against his restraint, could have contributed to Mr. Scott’s death.
The county medical examiner did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday. Mr Merritt said the county autopsy results have yet to be released.
The officers who were sacked on Thursday had been placed on administrative leave following Mr Scott’s death. The sheriff’s office has launched an internal investigation into the episode and the Texas Rangers, a state law enforcement agency, are conducting a criminal investigation.
Mr Merritt said the family were asking for the arrest of the officers involved and the release of prison security camera footage on the night of Mr Scott’s death.
“They put Marvin to rest on the 30th, just a few days ago,” he said. “The family continues to demonstrate each night with other members of the community.”
The Texas layoffs were announced during the Minnesota trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis cop who knelt around George Floyd’s neck before Mr. Floyd’s death on May 25, sparking nationwide protests . Holding law enforcement officers accountable in the United States has long been difficult, in part because of powerful police unions and a legal system that gives officers wide latitude to use force.
At a press conference on March 19, Sheriff Skinner called Mr Scott’s death a tragedy and said he had met those close to Mr Scott.
According to a statement from the Allen Police Department, officers met Mr. Scott on March 14 while responding to a disturbance call at a shopping center and “concerned for his safety due to the possible ingestion. drug”.
Mr Scott was taken to the emergency room, where he stayed for three hours before being released with a doctor’s clearance, according to the police statement. He added that he was taken to police headquarters in Allen before being transferred to Collin County Jail in McKinney.
Sheriff Skinner said police took Mr. Scott to the county jail shortly before 6:30 p.m. “While in the reservation area, Mr. Scott exhibited strange behavior,” he said. -he declares. “Several detention officers tried to tie him to the restraint bed and, during the process, used eye spray once, and also placed an anti-spit mask on his face.
OC spray – its official name is oleoresin capsicum – can also be called pepper spray. Sheriff Skinner described a spit mask as “a mask that goes over the head.” It has a net on it to prevent sputum from being spit on another person.
The sheriff said Mr. Scott became unresponsive around 10:30 a.m. He added that the Texas Rangers, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday night, were reviewing video footage of the episode.
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