Current:Home > reviewsSurpassing:Family of Texas man who died after altercation with jailers wants federal investigation -Ascend Finance Compass
Surpassing:Family of Texas man who died after altercation with jailers wants federal investigation
Indexbit View
Date:2025-04-11 08:31:04
The Surpassingfamily 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! (8)
Related
- Spooky or not? Some Choa Chu Kang residents say community garden resembles cemetery
- North Dakota voters will decide whether 81 is too old to serve in Congress
- For Today Only, Save Up to 57% Off the Internet-Viral Always Pans 2.0
- Is Jason Momoa Irish? 'Aquaman' actor stars in Guinness ad ahead of St. Patrick's Day
- Jorge Ramos reveals his final day with 'Noticiero Univision': 'It's been quite a ride'
- Prosecutors say New York subway shooting may have been self defense
- Judge asked to dismiss claims against police over killing of mentally ill woman armed with shotgun
- Aaron Donald announces his retirement after a standout 10-year career with the Rams
- Chuck Scarborough signs off: Hoda Kotb, Al Roker tribute legendary New York anchor
- 7 Alaska Airlines passengers sue over mid-air blowout, claiming serious emotional distress
Ranking
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- WWE WrestleMania 40 match card: 10 matches, what to know three weeks ahead of event
- Law enforcement should have seized man’s guns weeks before he killed 18 in Maine, report finds
- Authorities seize ailing alligator kept illegally in New York home’s swimming pool
- Where will Elmo go? HBO moves away from 'Sesame Street'
- For Today Only, Save Up to 57% Off the Internet-Viral Always Pans 2.0
- British warship identified off Florida coast 3 centuries after wreck left surviving crew marooned on uninhabited island
- Dr. Dre Shares He Suffered 3 Strokes After 2021 Brain Aneurysm
Recommendation
Macy's says employee who allegedly hid $150 million in expenses had no major 'impact'
Bracketology: Fight for last No. 1 seed down to Tennessee, North Carolina, Arizona
National Association of Realtors to cut commissions to settle lawsuits. Here's the financial impact.
Josh Lucas' Girlfriend Shares Surprising Sweet Home Alabama Take
A White House order claims to end 'censorship.' What does that mean?
New York City won’t offer ‘right to shelter’ to some immigrants in deal with homeless advocates
Steelers trade QB Kenny Pickett to Eagles, clearing way for Russell Wilson to start, per reports
A fourth Albuquerque, New Mexico, police officer has resigned amid probe of unit