LaShawn Thompson.Photo: Michael D. Harper
The family of a Georgia man who died in a bedbug-infested jail cell last year is now demanding a criminal investigation into his death as well as the closure and replacement of the jail, PEOPLE can confirm.
“The jail cell Mr. Thompson was housed in, was not fit for a diseased animal,” lawyer, Michael D. Harper, said in the statement dated April 12. “He did not deserve this.”
Thompson was arrested three months earlier, on June 12, 2022, for misdemeanor simple battery and was put into the psychiatric unit of the jail after officials reportedly determined he had unspecified mental health issues, according to the statement.
Citing jail records, the attorney said that officers and medical staff at the jail noticed Thompson was deteriorating, but did nothing to help him.
“They literally watched his health decline until he died,” Harper said. “When his body was found one of the detention officers refused to administer CPR because in her words she “freaked out.”
The report goes on to state how Thompson’s body was “covered in bed bugs” and it was “unknown the last time the decedent was seen.”
“The decedent’s medical and social history is unknown,” the report added.
LaShawn Thompson.Michael D. Harper
The sheriff’s office acknowledged the “dilapidated and rapidly eroding conditions” of the facility, and said Sheriff Patrick “Pat” Labat was launching a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding Thompson’s death.
In the meantime, the sheriff said officials were taking “immediate actions” in the jail including, spending $500,000 to address the infestation of bed bugs, lice and other vermin, updating protocols for security rounds, adding additional staff members to the mental health unit, and transferring more than 600 inmates to other counties in an effort to help relieve overcrowding.
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During a news conference on Thursday, where graphic images of Thompson’s apparent dead body were shown, his brother, Brad McCrae, said seeing those photos reminded him of another tragic case that garnered national headlines decades ago.
“It was heartbreaking because nobody should be seen like that,” he said, perCNN.“Nobody should see that. But the first thing that entered my mind was Emmett Till.”
“Without making any explicit statements about Mr. Thompson’s health, it’s fair to say that this is one of many cases that illustrate the desperate need for expanded and better mental health services,” the sheriff’s office statement reads.
“That is precisely why Sheriff Labat continues to call for building a new Fulton County Jail and Criminal Justice Complex which will provide humane care in a safe and clean environment that offers mental health and other services that provide a strong foundation for rehabilitation.”
source: people.com
