By Le Figaro with AFP
Published on 05/22/2023 at 23:29
This content is not accessible to all.
Ben Crump, Lashawn Thompson’s family attorney. STEFANI REYNOLDS / AFP
Malnourished, dehydrated and eaten by lice: A schizophrenic inmate died of “grave negligence” at a southern US prison, according to an autopsy report released Monday, May 22. Lashawn Thompson, a 35-year-old African-American homeless man, was taken into custody by the Fulton County, which includes Atlanta, sheriff last June after he spat on an officer. On September 13, he was found dead, emaciated, extremely dirty and infested with insects in a cell in the psychiatric wing of the local jail. An official autopsy had revealed that the causes of death were “unclear” against the background of “schizophrenic and bipolar disorders”.
Thanks to funds from soccer player Colin Kaepernick, who is heavily involved in the Black Lives Matter movement to fight racism and police violence, his family hired an independent medical assessor to find out more. Lashawn Thompson died of “complications resulting from gross negligence,” concluded Dr. Roger Mitchell in a report published on Monday. He said Lashawn Thomson was prescribed medication to control his schizophrenia when he arrived in prison, but apparently had not received it for at least 43 days, which accelerated his deterioration as he was unable to eat, drink or wash without treatment. At the time of his death, he weighed 15 kilos less than when he was admitted, was dehydrated and covered in a layer of dirt, the doctor notes.
This content is not accessible to all.
“Lashawn Thompson was neglected to death”
His body harbored “countless insects”, also in the nose and mouth, as well as “several bites on the arms and legs”, adds the doctor, who believes it is possible that the high number of lice has caused anemia. He finally succumbed to a cardiac arrhythmia, which, however, was not a “natural” cause of death. “Lashawn Thompson was neglected until his death,” he wrote, calling his death a “murder.” At a news conference, his family’s attorney, Ben Crump, said his cell had become a “torture chamber.” “Somebody has to be accountable to their loved ones,” he said. “Someone should be held accountable for what happened to my nephew,” added Karo Thompson, the deceased’s uncle.
However, no complaint has been filed at this time. According to local press reports, the county sheriff recently received the family and accepted the resignation of two prison officials. When asked by AFP on Monday, he did not immediately respond to the publication of the autopsy.