It’s incomprehensible that a scene like this is happening in the United States.
The family of an Alabama man who died while in police custody in January filed a lawsuit against several jail officials, including the Walker County Sheriff, claiming that their loved one died after officials left him in a walk-in freezer or a similar environment for hours, leading to his death.
Anthony “Tony” Mitchell’s family claims that more than a dozen Walker County Jail officials abused Mitchell and then schemed to cover up the mistreatment after he passed away.
Mitchell’s mother, Margaret Mitchell, claims in the lawsuit that her son had been abused and forced to endure “hellish” conditions in the two weeks he had stayed at the jail.
According to the lawsuit, Mitchell lay naked in the early morning of January 26 as hypothermia set into his body. Instead of helping him, correctional officers and medical personnel passed by his open cell to gawk and get entertainment from his condition as he was dying.
An official from the Sheriff’s office told one of Mitchell’s relatives that guards tased him while in the cell after his arrest. He was also housed in freezing conditions while naked due to the jail’s policy on suicide watch, the lawsuit says.
Mitchell’s family said the 33-year-old man suffered from drug addiction and mental and physical problems.
The lawsuit also states that as punishment, guards strapped Mitchell down to a restraint chair, took him to a walk-in freezer in the kitchen or a similar environment, and left him for hours.
Police arrested Mitchell on January 12 after responding to a call from a relative requesting they do a welfare check on him.
When responding officers got to his home, Mitchell allegedly opened fire before running to some woods behind his home, according to a press release by the Sheriff’s office.
Mitchell was finally taken into custody after officers surrounded him.
Authorities said they had recovered a handgun, heroin, and meth from his house.
The complaint states that Mitchell’s internal temperature was only 72 degrees when he got to the hospital.
Mitchell was allegedly taken to the hospital five hours after officers removed him from the cold area. According to the complaint, the man had no pulse when he got to the hospital.
A corrections officer who shared footage of Mitchell’s state while being taken to a sheriff’s car was fired. The officer has filed a lawsuit against the Sheriff’s Office for wrongful termination.
