The family of Anthony Johnson, who died in Tarrant County custody after jailers pepper sprayed him, is calling on the sheriff鈥檚 office to show them the video of what happened.
Johnson, 31, died after the altercation during a contraband check on April 21, according to the sheriff鈥檚 office. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner鈥檚 Office has not yet declared his cause of death.
Johnson鈥檚 mother and sisters spoke before the Tarrant County Commissioners Court at their meeting Tuesday, demanding more transparency in their loved one鈥檚 death and more oversight of the Tarrant County jail system.
More than 60 people have died in custody since 2017, according to state data.
鈥淭his has been festering in the county for years, and you鈥檝e done nothing about it,鈥� Johnson鈥檚 mother, Jacqualyne Johnson, said to commissioners.
The family, who calls Anthony 鈥淎J鈥�, told reporters they鈥檝e struggled to get information about his death, which is being investigated by the Texas Rangers.
鈥淲e've asked the sheriff's office to give us any details. Nothing,鈥� Johnson鈥檚 sister Chanell Johnson said. 鈥淸The] Texas Rangers, we were told, were going to come and talk to us to get a better idea 鈥� nothing.鈥�
Johnson was diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, according to Jacqualyne, who told reporters she tried and failed to get emergency mental health help for her son before his arrest. A treatment center turned him away because he was not a threat to himself or others, she said.
Saginaw Police later picked Johnson up after he , according to the sheriff鈥檚 office. He was charged with possession of a controlled substance, tampering with evidence and evading arrest.
Anthony Johnson informed police he was schizophrenic, Jacqualyne said. He died in custody the day after he was booked into the jail.
Jacqualyne called on the sheriff鈥檚 office to show her the video of her son鈥檚 altercation with jail staff, even if it鈥檚 not released to the public.
鈥淭he family? We should be able to see that film," Jacqualyne said.
The county has already moved to withhold the video from the public. 四虎影院 requested the video but has not yet heard back from the county. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram submitted a public records request for the video, but to the state Attorney General鈥檚 office.
Democratic County Commissioner Alisa Simmons put a discussion about recent jail deaths on the agenda for Tuesday鈥檚 meeting. Days before Johnson鈥檚 death, Roderick Johnson, 42, died in custody after being found unresponsive in his cell, according to the sheriff鈥檚 office. His cause of death is also pending.
The Tarrant County Sheriff鈥檚 Office, which runs the jail, did not send anyone to the meeting to give a briefing or answer Simmons鈥� questions.
That鈥檚 because the investigations of those deaths are still open, spokesperson Robbie Hoy wrote in a text message.
鈥淚t would be unprecedented to interview on this case and could interfere with the integrity of the investigation,鈥� Hoy wrote. 鈥淚n order for the case to be completed properly and people to be held accountable, we will allow the outside agency, the Texas Rangers, to complete their investigation before our office makes additional comments.鈥�
Simmons wants the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate Anthony Johnson鈥檚 death, a request his mother echoed Tuesday.
鈥淭his is too many deaths. I mean, it should never have gotten to this point. The feds need to come in and do some investigation,鈥� Jacqualyne said. 鈥淭o me, that would be the independent investigation that needs to happen. And until that happens, they're just policing themselves.鈥�
Other community members who spoke during the public comment period compared Johnson鈥檚 death to the death of Robert Miller.
Miller died in Tarrant County jail custody in 2019. cast doubt on the county鈥檚 explanation he died of a sickle cell crisis. Miller didn鈥檛 have sickle cell disease, and he likely died of the consequences of being pepper sprayed repeatedly by jailers, the paper suggested.
The county initially promised to submit Miller鈥檚 autopsy for an independent review, but 四虎影院 found that review never happened. The county maintains Miller died of a sickle cell crisis.
Got a tip? Email Miranda Suarez at msuarez@kera.org. You can follow Miranda on Twitter @MirandaRSuarez.
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