Current:Home > InvestFamily of Texas man who died after altercation with jailers wants federal investigation -NextFrontier Finance
Family of Texas man who died after altercation with jailers wants federal investigation
View
Date:2025-04-12 05:46:44
The family of a Texas man who died after an altercation with jailers, including one who pinned his knee to the inmate’s back, on Tuesday called for a federal investigation into the practices at the jail.
Anthony Johnson Jr., 31, a former Marine, died April 21 after the the altercation that officials said began when Johnson resisted jailers’ orders during a search for contraband. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner last week ruled the death a homicide due to asphyxia, or suffocation.
After fighting with staff at the Tarrant County Jail in Fort Worth for two to three minutes, Johnson was wrestled to the floor, Sheriff Bill Waybourn has said, and jailer Rafael Moreno placed his knee on Johnson’s back for about 90 seconds as he was being handcuffed. Waybourn has said that Johnson was also pepper-sprayed during the incident.
The family’s attorney, Daryl Washington, said at a news conference in Fort Worth on Tuesday said that what makes it so difficult for the family is that the death “was totally preventable.”
“This family wants more than anything else to see that there’s going to be change in the Tarrant County Jail because parents are not supposed to bury their children,” Washington said.
Waybourn has said that Moreno shouldn’t have used his knee because Johnson was already handcuffed. Waybourn initially fired both Moreno and Lt. Joel Garcia, the supervisor on duty, but reinstated them about a week later and put them on paid administrative leave because the sheriff’s office said the firings didn’t follow official protocol.
“We have people who are incompetent, untrained and inhumane,” working at the jail, Johnson’s father, Anthony Johnson Sr., said at the news conference.
Johnson had been arrested two days before his death for allegedly using a knife to threaten the driver of a vehicle. His family has told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram he’d been suffering from a mental health crisis.
Randy Moore, an attorney for Garcia, said in a text to The Associated Press that Garcia’s role in the fight was limited and that the use of force was necessary. Moreno’s attorney did not immediately return a phone message on Tuesday.
The Texas Rangers are investigating Johnson’s death. Congressman Marc Veasey, who represents the Fort Worth area, and County Commissioner Alisa Simmons, have each called for a U.S. Department of Justice investigation into issues at the jail.
The force used in Johnson’s death is intended to stop and subdue people without killing them, yet increasingly, it has come under scrutiny following the 2020 death of George Floyd. Floyd died after a Minneapolis police officer restrained him facedown on the ground for nine minutes and pinned a knee to the back of Floyd’s neck, an incident that sparked outrage nationwide.
An AP investigation published in March found more than 1,000 people died over a decade’s time after police used physical holds and weapons meant to be safer than guns.
In hundreds of the deaths, police violated well-known guidelines for safely restraining people. Most violations involved pinning people facedown, in ways that could restrict their breathing, as happened to Johnson, or stunning them repeatedly with Tasers.
veryGood! (653)
Related
- The Super Bowl could end in a 'three
- Best Holiday Gifts for Women: Shop Beauty, Jewelry, Athleisure, & More
- AI FinFlare: Damon Quisenberry's Professional Journey
- $700 million? Juan Soto is 'the Mona Lisa' as MLB's top free agent, Scott Boras says
- Friday the 13th luck? 13 past Mega Millions jackpot wins in December. See top 10 lottery prizes
- Roland Quisenberry’s Investment Journey: From Market Prodigy to AI Pioneer
- Watch wild moment raccoon falls from ceiling in LaGuardia Airport terminal
- 3 women shot after discussion over politics; no arrest made, Miami police say
- Trump invites nearly all federal workers to quit now, get paid through September
- 'Fat Leonard' contractor in US Navy bribery scandal sentenced to 15 years in prison
Ranking
- Alex Murdaugh’s murder appeal cites biased clerk and prejudicial evidence
- Florida’s iconic Key deer face an uncertain future as seas rise
- AI ProfitPulse: Ushering in a New Era of Investment
- Caroline Ellison begins 2-year sentence for her role in Bankman-Fried’s FTX fraud
- Former Syrian official arrested in California who oversaw prison charged with torture
- USDA sets rule prohibiting processing fees on school lunches for low-income families
- Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Son King Combs Takes Over His Social Media to “Spread Good Energy”
- 30 quotes about stress and anxiety to help bring calm
Recommendation
Former longtime South Carolina congressman John Spratt dies at 82
Hollywood’s Favorite Leg-Elongating Jeans Made Me Ditch My Wide-Legs Forever—Starting at Only $16
Barstool Sports’ Dave Portnoy Slams Zach Bryan in Diss Track After Brianna LaPaglia Split
Every Time Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande Channeled Their Wicked Characters in Real Life
Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
Democrat Laura Gillen wins US House seat on Long Island, unseating GOP incumbent
Republican Jeff Hurd wins Colorado US House seat in Lauren Boebert’s old district
A green giant: This year’s 74-foot Rockefeller Christmas tree is en route from Massachusetts