Family of Texas man who died after altercation with jailers wants federal investigation
The family of a Texas man who died after an altercation with prison guards, including one pressing his knee against the inmate’s back, called Tuesday for a federal investigation into prison practices.
Anthony Johnson Jr., 31, a former Marine, died April 21 after the altercation that officials say began when Johnson resisted commands from jailers during a search for contraband. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner last week ruled the death a homicide due to asphyxiation or suffocation.
After a two- to three-minute struggle with staff at the Tarrant County Jail in Fort Worth, Johnson was wrestled to the ground, Sheriff Bill Waybourn said, and jailer Rafael Moreno placed his knee on Johnson’s back for about 90 seconds while he was handcuffed. . Waybourn has said Johnson was also pepper-sprayed during the incident.
The family’s attorney, Daryl Washington, said at a news conference in Fort Worth on Tuesday that what makes things so difficult for the family is that the death was “completely preventable.”
“More than anything, this family wants change at the Tarrant County Jail because parents are not supposed to bury their children,” Washington said.
Waybourn has said Moreno should not 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 placed them on paid administrative leave because the sheriff’s office said the firings did not follow official protocol.
“We have people who are incompetent, untrained and inhumane,” Johnson’s father, Anthony Johnson Sr., who works at the prison, said at the news conference.
Anthony Johnson Jr. had been arrested two days before his death for allegedly using a knife to threaten the driver of a vehicle. His family told him that Fort Worth Star-Telegram he was suffering from a mental health crisis.
Randy Moore, an attorney for Garcia, said in a text message 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 message 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 problems at the jail.
The force used in Johnson’s death was intended to restrain and subdue people without killing them, but has come under increasing scrutiny following Johnson’s death in 2020. George Floyd. Floyd died after a Minneapolis police officer held him face down on the ground for nine minutes and pressed a knee against the back of Floyd’s neck, an incident that sparked national outrage.
An AP investigation published in March found that more than 1,000 people died in a decade after police used physical holds and weapons that were meant to be safer than guns.
The police have killed hundreds violate known guidelines for safely restraining people. Most of the offenses involved pinning people face down in a way that could restrict their breathing, as happened to Johnson, or repeatedly stunning them with Tasers.