ROCKDALE COUNTY, Ga. — New video released Wednesday shows the moments just before an inmate died at the Rockdale County Jail, and his family says it shows him pleading for help – but no one ever responding.
Deputies were called to respond to Shali Tilson’s jail cell on the night of March 12, 2018. Officials found Tilson alone in his cell in solitary confinement at the time of his death, with no apparent injuries or identifiable cause.
An investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation ruled that the inmate was indeed found dehydrated with a brain injury, however, they were unable to pinpoint how or what happened.
The GBI performed an autopsy two days later, during which investigators found Tilson's cause of death to be pulmonary thrombi due to dehydration, essentially blood clots that traveled to the lungs. A subdural hemorrhage, or bleeding in the brain usually associated with traumatic brain injury, was also found during the autopsy. However, investigators were unable to say exactly how it happened. No other fractures or injuries were found.
After the autopsy, the GBI ruled the manner of death as "undetermined", and his family filed suit, asking the federal government to look into his death, claiming the jail should have realized the 22-year-old was “in the midst of a psychiatric crisis" just before his death.
Now, the new 8-hour video appears to show Tilson in his cell before he died. Tilson’s family said they got the video, broken up into four clips, from a whistleblower.
Tilson’s family is claiming a cover-up by high-ranking officials, naming Rockdale’s sheriff Eric Levett, deputies and others in an amended lawsuit. They’re calling on Governor Brian Kemp to take action, demanding he remove the sheriff from his post.
Tilson’s mother Tynesha watched the footage, which she said showed her son being treated “worse than an animal."
In the video, Tilson is seen in a small cell, naked, lying on trash, with no bed and no toilet. Just a crate in the floor to use. In this first clip, Tilson is jumping up, banging on the door and pressing the buzzer.
“Mr. Tilson was conscience and attempting to get help," attorneys said, adding that the buzzer Tilson used to call for help didn't work.
In another clip, Tilson – “out of frustration and desperation” – collapses in a corner.
The lawsuit alleges it was "obvious and apparent that he was in the midst of a mental health crisis” when he was arrested and he showed he was also "completely detached from reality."
READ: Full complaint
Tilson’s family said he was later placed on suicide watch, during which attorneys said he should've been checked on every half hour. But they allege the door never opened during the 8-hour video.
“The door never opens … Gives him a hug. Says anything to him,” attorneys said.
Attorneys added that after they received the video, they filed an amended lawsuit in federal court, and a special grand jury has been appointed. Tilson's family's attorneys say it’s unclear how the jail was providing him with food and water to drink. But they allege Tilson lost 20 pounds in the nine days he was there.
“For nine days, Shali was in that jail,” his mother Tynesha said. “The jail never closes. First shift, second shift. There was a lot of people that watched my son suffer, and I'm beyond outraged at this point."
But Tilson is not the only inmate to have died in the jail – Jamie Henry died 48 hours after being brought to the Rockdale County facility.
11Alive asked the Rockdale County Sheriff's Office for comment on Tilson’s case. An attorney sent a statement, saying they will avoid commenting on pending litigation in order to "preserve the integrity of our office and to avoid any potential to bias jurors who may be asked to decide the case in the future." He added that his clients have filed motions to dismiss the federal lawsuit.
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