The Briefing Room
State Chapters => Texas => Topic started by: Elderberry on March 20, 2021, 10:26:47 pm
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Dallas Morning News by Catherine Marfin 3/19/2021
Family of man who died in Collin County jail calls for arrest of officers present during his death
Sheriff says Texas Rangers and his department are conducting separate investigations into the actions of seven officers who are on leave after Sunday’s incident. The attorney for the family says authorities aren’t being forthcoming.
The family of a 26-year-old man who died Sunday while in custody at the Collin County jail for marijuana possession called Friday for the arrests of the seven officers involved in his detention.
Lee Merritt, a civil-rights attorney representing the family of Marvin David Scott III, also called for more transparency in the investigation into the death, saying that neither he nor Scott’s family were notified about a news conference that Collin County Sheriff Jim Skinner conducted Friday morning to provide updates on the case.
Allen police arrested Scott for marijuana possession Sunday afternoon, Skinner said at his news conference. The McKinney resident died after being forcefully restrained, pepper-sprayed and placed under a spit hood.
During his news conference, Skinner confirmed most of an account of Scott’s death that Merritt previously provided (https://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/2021/03/19/man-died-in-collin-county-jail-after-being-restrained-pepper-sprayed-attorney-lee-merritt-says/).
The sheriff said Scott was booked into the Collin County jail around 6:22 p.m. Sunday and “exhibited some strange behavior†while in the booking area. Several officers tried to secure him to a restraint bed and used pepper spray once during the process, he said. A spit hood, which the sheriff said officers sometimes use to prevent the spread of bloodborne diseases, was placed over Scott’s head at 10:22 p.m., he said.
Scott became unresponsive and was taken to Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in McKinney, where he was pronounced dead, Skinner said.
More: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/courts/2021/03/19/family-of-man-who-died-in-collin-county-jail-calls-for-arrest-of-officers-present-during-his-death/ (https://www.dallasnews.com/news/courts/2021/03/19/family-of-man-who-died-in-collin-county-jail-calls-for-arrest-of-officers-present-during-his-death/)
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The guy's behavior - taking the account at face value - suggests he had ingested something stronger than the MJ he possessed. That autopsy won't be simple, and the dead guy's family may be less than happy with its results and conclusions.