A mental illness man dies in bedbug-infested jail, as family demand a criminal investigation into his death as well as the closure and replacement of the jail.
According to reports, an Atlanta-based attorney for the family of LaShawn Johnson claims the 35-year-old man dies in bedbug-infested jail as he was found unresponsive in his “filthy” cell on Sept. 19, 2022,, after being “eaten alive by insects” and cited the Fulton County Jail’s unsanitary conditions as reasoning for his death, according to a Harper Law Firm statement.
“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, the man who died in bedbug-infested jail, 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.”
According to a Fulton County Medical Examiner’s report, there were no obvious signs of trauma found on Thompson’s body and his cause of death was listed as undetermined.
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.
In a statement, the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office said, “Due to HIPPA statutes and regulations we are not able to share any information about what Mr. Thompson’s health condition was upon being arrested or what decisions he made regarding his right to accept or refuse medical care.”
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.
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, per CNN. “Nobody should see that. But the first thing that entered my mind was Emmett Till.”
Harper told USA Today that a lawsuit in the case is pending. According to the statement, Thompson’s family wants “someone to be held accountable in his death” and requests that the jail be “closed and replaced.”
“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.”
According to the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, an internal inquiry and assessment by the Georgia Bureau of Investigations will determine whether or not criminal charges will be filed in the case