Family of Terry Lee Thurmond
Terry Lee Thurmond was being held at the Clayton County Jail south of Atlanta.
CNN
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A Clayton County, Georgia grand jury has decided not to indict six former sheriff’s deputies in the death of a man in custody after a fight at a county jail last year, court documents show.
The six lawmakers were fired following the death in November of 38-year-old Terry Lee Thurmond, who was being held at the Clayton County Jail south of Atlanta. His death was ruled a homicide by the county coroner.
Surveillance footage of the November 28 incident shows officers appearing to be trying to stop Thurmond from falling from the prison’s second floor. Finally, they place him in the hallway on the second floor. A fierce fight ensues, ultimately ending in Thurmond’s death.
According to a review of the video and recordings obtained by CNN, he died just a day after his arrest and arrest on suspicion of trespassing at an airport and just over an hour after his encounter with prison officials.
Less than a month later, the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office announced that it had fired some of its employees following an investigation into Thurmond’s death.
The six former deputies – Ellonte Johnson, Randy Gaddy, Dionte McCauley, Fred Denson, Derrick Doyle and Danilo Jones-Lamont – faced potential charges of involuntary manslaughter, reckless conduct and breach of oath by public officials, according to a court document.
Thurmond family attorney Thomas Reynolds told CNN the family plans to pursue a civil suit. The civil rights attorney added that after watching the video, he believes the incident was “a clear abuse of power.”
A county coroner’s schedule document said Thurmond remained “combative” after officers placed him on the sidewalk. The deputies and Thurmond fight for several minutes until the deputies gain control of him.
At this point, Thurmond is lying face down and “most/all officers appear to be resting their knees and body weight on him,” according to the coroner’s time document.
According to the coroner’s report and CNN’s review, this takes about ten minutes. An officer near Thurmond’s head “appears to put one or more knees in Thurmond’s neck/shoulder area,” according to the timeline.
Reynolds previously told CNN that Thurmond remained unconscious for at least 15 minutes before being transported to a hospital by first responders.
CNN’s review of the video shows that a first responder began resuscitating Thurmond about 12 minutes after his last recorded movement.
According to Chris Harvey, the council’s deputy executive director, the former deputies are being investigated by the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council.
The training council’s investigation is “unrelated to the criminal process” and relates to whether the former law enforcement officers would retain their accreditation to work in Georgia law enforcement, Harvey told CNN.
