The death of a 26-year-old Black man in custody at a Texas jail has been ruled a homicide.
Marvin Scott III, of Frisco, Texas, was arrested on a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge by police at an outlet mall in Allen, a suburb of northern Dallas, on March 14.
The officers first took Scott to a local hospital because he was reportedly acting erratically. He was subsequently released and then transported to the Collin County Jail in McKinney, northeast of Allen, where he began “exhibiting some strange behavior,” Collin County Sheriff Jim Skinner said at a press conference on March 19.
While in detention, Scott was restrained Scott to a bed, pepper-sprayed him and covered his face with a spit mask. He was then kept there for several hours and became unresponsive at some point.
He would later be pronounced dead at a hospital, according to Skinner, who called the incident “a profound tragedy.”
“I’m not here to make excuses for anyone,” Skinner told reporters. “People are upset, the family is upset, the community is upset, I’m upset.
Collin County’s chief medical examiner, Dr. William Rohr, announced Wednesday that his findings show Scott’s cause of death was “fatal acute stress response in an individual with previously diagnosed schizophrenia during restraint struggle with law enforcement.” The manner of death is listed as homicide.
Earlier this month, the Collin County sheriff announced that seven detention officers, who were initially placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation, have been fired for their alleged involvement in Scott’s death. Skinner said they violated department policies and procedures.
An eighth detention officer has resigned. The identities of the officers have not been released.
Source: ABC News