Colin Kaepernick takes on the autopsy of a Georgia inmate ‘eaten alive’ by bed bugs

This will be the latest autopsy funded by Kaepernick as part of the Autopsy Initiative, a service offered by the soccer star’s Know Your Rights camp.

Colin Kaepernick has pledged to fund the independent autopsy of a black man who died in allegedly inhumane living conditions in Georgia last year.

Lashawn Thompson, 35, was riddled with bites from bugs and insects when he was found dead in a psychiatric wing of the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta last September, according to civil rights attorney Ben Crump.

Colin Kaepernick has pledged to fund the independent autopsy of a black man who died in allegedly inhumane living conditions in Georgia last year. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

Crump, who will represent Thompson’s family in an upcoming civil lawsuit, thanked activist and former NFL star Kaepernick for paying for the autopsy at a news conference held outside the prison on Thursday.

“We will have an independent autopsy performed and Colin Kaepernick has told the family he will definitely pay for it so we can find out the truth,” Crump told reporters Thursday.

Thompson spent three months in the Fulton County Jail after being arrested in June 2022 for a simple misdemeanor, according to CBS News.

Due to psychological problems, he was transferred to the prison’s psychiatric ward during his sentence. He was eventually found dead in a filthy prison cell after being eaten alive by bugs and bed bugs,” family attorney Michael Harper said, per CBS.

An investigation into Thompson’s death is underway, led by the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, according to NPR affiliate WABE.

According to the report, the sheriff’s office added that $500,000 in funding has been approved to mitigate pest infestations at the prison, which authorities say is “dilapidated and rapidly eroding.”

“Forcing detainees to live in appalling conditions where they are exposed to insects, dirt and infection is totally unacceptable. Nobody should be treated like that,” Crump said in his statement.

This will be the latest autopsy funded by Kaepernick as part of the Autopsy Initiative, a service from his Know Your Rights camp. The initiative allows family members and close associates of a person who died while in custody after contact with law enforcement to request an autopsy.

The story goes on

“We know that the prison’s industrial complex, which includes the police force and police, is committed to protecting and serving its interests at all costs,” Kaepernick told the Associated Press. “The autopsy initiative is an important step in ensuring family members have access to accurate and forensically verifiable information about the cause of death of their loved ones in times of need.”

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Colin Kaepernick’s post about the autopsy of a Georgia inmate ‘eaten alive’ by bed bugs appeared first on TheGrio.