ATLANTA — Editor's Note: The full video of the family's press conference can be seen above this story.
The family of a man who died Saturday after spending months in custody at the Fulton County Jail is demanding answers at press conference on Wednesday.
Court records show 34-year-old Samuel Lawrence had been in jail for eight months when he died. According to the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, Lawrence was found unresponsive in his cell on August 26 and he died at Grady Hospital.
His family's attorney, Kenneth Muhammad, stated that an independent autopsy showed evidence of a physical assault of some kind. Bite marks were found on his body as described in his civil rights complaint and there was injury to his chest, according to the attorneys.
Attorneys believe that there is possible evidence of foul play in Lawrence's death.
The cause of death has not yet been revealed as it is pending results from the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office and the private autopsy.
"They are screaming out for help, there are written reports being made constantly, and we find that even though the DOJ is conducting an investigation, there is an immediate need for the situation to be remedied," said Muhammad.
At the time, Lawrence was the 16th person to die while in the sheriff's office custody since mid-September last year, according to authorities.
He had been in custody for a single second-degree arson charge since last December. Fulton County court records show a judge denied him bond after his arrest, citing a likelihood to re-offend and a criminal history.
Court records show after 109 days, without being indicted, a judge granted the 34-year-old a $30,000 bond in April. Lawrence’s father said he didn’t know his son was granted a bond.
Earlier this month his attorney filed for a reduced bond, and a hearing was scheduled for next month. Lawrence died without being indicted.
His uncle, Eugene Hall Jr., said Lawrence filed a federal civil rights complaint against the Fulton County Jail days before he died.
In the complaint, Lawrence claims deputies used excessive force on him, including while he was in handcuffs.
The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office said Atlanta Police will investigate the in-custody death while the Fulton County Medical Examiner performs an autopsy to determine how Lawrence died.
