Seven police officers fired following the death of 26-year-old Texas man Marvin Scott in police custody

Seven officers were dismissed on the death of mars of a black man who was pepper sprayed with a spit mask on his face while in custody, the Collin County, Texas Sheriff’s Office said Thursday. The sheriff said the seven officers “violated well-established sheriff’s office policies and procedures” when treating Marvin David Scott III, who became unresponsive and died shortly after at a local hospital.

“The evidence I have seen confirms that these detention officers violated well-established policies and procedures of the sheriff’s office,” Collin County Sheriff Jim Skinner said in a statement. “Everyone in Collin County deserves safe and fair treatment, including those in our jail. I will not tolerate less.”

An eighth officer who was under investigation has resigned, Skinner said.

Details surrounding the death of the 26-year-old remain unclear. Officers from the Allen Police Department first encountered Scott “acting erratically” at a shopping mall when responding to a disturbance call on March 14, the department said in a statement.

Citing concern for his safety “due to the possible ingestion of drugs,” the department said he was taken to a local hospital and held in the emergency room for about three hours.

Once released, he was transferred to a Collin County detention center where he arrived around 6:22 p.m., Skinner said in a briefing on March 19. He had been arrested for possession of less than 2 ounces of marijuana.

At some point after his arrival, Scott started exhibiting “strange behavior” in the reservation area, Skinner said. Skinner did not explain what he meant by “strange behavior” or provide additional details about Scott’s alleged conduct.

Several officers then struggled to tie Scott to a restraint bed, Skinner said. They used pepper spray once and placed an anti-spit mask – a blanket with a netting designed to prevent a person from spitting on officers – on his face, Skinner said.

At 10:22 p.m. Scott became unresponsive as he was placed on the restraint bed, Skinner said. He “immediately” received medical attention, but was later pronounced dead in a local hospital.

Skinner did not provide further details about the four-hour period Scott was in custody. Seven officers had already been placed on administrative leave following Scott’s death.

The Texas Rangers are investigating the incident, but have yet to release a report on the matter. Skinner said video of the incident, which has not been shared publicly, has been turned over to Rangers.

Scott’s family said the layoffs were “a step forward” and “the first step for many more to come.”

“Then these former officers must be arrested and brought to justice,” the family said in a statement.

Lawyers for Scott’s family said in March he was experiencing a mental health crisis at the time of his death and condemned the sheriff’s characterization of the hours leading up to his death. At the March 19 press conference, Skinner declined to comment on whether officers were aware of a history of mental illness.

“The statement that [the sheriff] given today was neither comprehensive nor transparent, ”said attorney Lee Merritt at the time.

“It wasn’t just weird. It was a mental health crisis,” Merritt added. “It’s huge to disrespect him that way.”