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21-04-2023
GEORGIA: An inmate in the US state of Georgia who was found dead covered in insects had been placed in “a death chamber” not a jail cell, say family members.
Lawyers for Lashawn Thompson’s relatives are now calling for an independent post-mortem examination.
He was discovered unresponsive on 13 September 2022 in a psychiatric wing of the jail in Atlanta. He had been “eaten alive” by bed bugs, say relatives.
A medical examiner listed the 35-year-old’s cause of death as undetermined.
Three of Fulton County Jail’s staff have resigned amid an ongoing internal investigation.
Thompson, who had schizophrenia, was arrested on 12 June 2022 for a misdemeanor simple battery charge and placed into the psychiatric wing of the Fulton County Jail.
Civil rights and personal injury lawyer Ben Crump, who is representing the family, told a news conference outside the jail on Thursday that the legal team would seek an independent autopsy.
Former NFL athlete Colin Kaepernick has agreed to pay for it, Crump said.
Crump held up an enlarged post-mortem photo of Thompson with his eyes open, eyelids surrounded by bugs.
Brad McCrae, Thompson’s younger brother, told the news conference that images of his body covered in insects were “horrific” and the cell “looks like a death chamber”.
Another family attorney, Michael Harper, told the media briefing: “Lashawn Thompson died with his eyes open. It is documented in the medical records… they saw him declining and did nothing.”
Crump said Thompson had over 1,000 bites and that insects were found in his mouth, ears & nose and across his body.
The lawyers are calling for a criminal investigation and indicated a lawsuit was pending.
Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat, who also spoke at the press conference alongside the Thompson family and attorneys, said: “We understand that this is absolutely unconscionable, point blank.”
Thompson’s death is still being investigated by the Office of Professional Standards and Atlanta Police Department, the sheriff said.
It will then be handed over to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
The Fulton County jail is to receive close to $5.4m (£4.3m) for upgrades.
It has recently spent over half a million dollars on decontamination, said the sheriff.
Emergency funds will be directed towards a twice-monthly clean-up of the psychiatric wing, he added.
