CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — A Clayton County grand jury decided not to indict jailers who were allegedly involved in an inmate's death, according to District Attorney Tasha Mosley.
Terry Lee Thurmond died after an hour-long struggle with jailers on Nov. 28, 2022, at the Clayton County Jail. Medical examiners determined he suffered cardiac arrest during his struggle and ruled his death a homicide.
Thurmond was arrested and booked into the jail a day before his death on a criminal trespass charge at the airport.
According to the Clayton County Sheriff's Office, the jailers involved in the incident were fired. Video released earlier this year showed officers gripping Thurmond by his jumpsuit and lifting him back onto the floor after inmates called them for help when he began to hang over the second-floor railing.
Three officers are seen trying to subdue Thurmond, and it appears a Taser is used on him. He leaned on the railing after the supposed shock and it seems he is pushed to the ground. After forcing Thurmond to break his hold of the railing, five officers are left trying to subdue Thurmond.
At 7:19 p.m. it is recorded that the 38-year-old is face down as "most/all officers appear to be placing their knees and their body weight on Thurmond," the medical examiner's timeline reads. A minute later, medical examiners recorded that he died.
“It’s disheartening to see that we continue to have these types of issues within law enforcement, even after George Floyd," Thomas Reynolds, the attorney representing the family, previously said about the video that was released.
11Alive obtained a copy of the court records from the Clayton County Superior Clerk's Office after the grand jury decided not to indict the jailers.
According to the records, the jailers were facing a county each of involuntary manslaughter, reckless conduct and violation of oath by a public officer.
In a prepared statement, Thurmond's family said in part, "While we respect the grand jury’s decision the family is heartbroken and they feel like the system is broken. Far too many vulnerable detainees are dying in jails all around the country under unlawful circumstances, many times this occurs without any repercussions, and often the deaths aren’t even reported. "
The family calls detainee abuse and medical neglect is a national crisis.
"We are calling for President Joe Biden, Senator Ossoff and Warnock, Governor Kemp, and the Department of Justice to take immediate action to correct this injustice," they added in the statement.
The family's attorney, Thomas Reynolds of Reynolds Law Group, said "We will continue to fight for the Thurmond family until justice is served and we stand in solidarity with other victims of inmate abuse and their families."
More about the case
Southern Regional Hospital accounts cite the patient was brought to them because he "was trying to commit suicide by jumping off a landing," records show, adding he suffered cardiopulmonary arrest.
A Clayton County death investigation report revealed at the hospital, stun gun sites were found on his left arm and hip and Thurmond had a bruise on his left leg. Investigators also discovered he had a medical history of bipolar, paranoid schizophrenia and hypertension diagnosed at Grady Hospital and he was not taking prescribed medications. There are no jail medical records of his history with bipolar or paranoid schizophrenia diagnosis or a list of medications, meaning it may have not been disclosed or recorded at the time of Thurmond's jail booking.
Reynold's claimed this was an oversight and caused the shortfall of the jailers' response to Thurmond's actions that day.
Following his death, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation was asked to step in.
Meanwhile, the Clayton County Sheriff's Office conducted an internal investigation which resulted in the firing of “all employees directly involved" for policy violations. Authorities clarified that the jail’s policies and procedures weren’t followed when officers were interacting with Thurmond.