This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/04/us/john-neville-death-winston-salem-nc.html

The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Sheriff Apologizes to Family of Inmate Who Died After Being Restrained Sheriff Apologizes to Family of Inmate Who Died After Being Restrained
(about 4 hours later)
A North Carolina sheriff apologized on Tuesday to the family of a Black man who died last year after being restrained at a jail, a day before officials planned to release videos showing the episode that led to the man’s death. A North Carolina sheriff apologized on Tuesday to the family of a Black man who died last year after being restrained at a jail, a day before officials released videos showing the episode that led to the man’s death.
The sheriff, Bobby F. Kimbrough Jr., offered to name part of the Forsyth County, N.C., jail after the man, John Neville. Sheriff Kimbrough said renaming the housing unit after Mr. Neville would help memorialize him, as well as underscore the priorities of jail employees. The sheriff, Bobby F. Kimbrough Jr., offered to name part of the Forsyth County, N.C., jail after the man, John Neville, 56. Sheriff Kimbrough said renaming the housing unit after Mr. Neville would help memorialize him, as well as underscore the priorities of jail employees.
“We’re doing it as a reminder to let them know that life is paramount in how we do business,” Sheriff Kimbrough said.“We’re doing it as a reminder to let them know that life is paramount in how we do business,” Sheriff Kimbrough said.
The sheriff also apologized to Mr. Neville’s family. The sheriff also apologized to Mr. Neville’s family for the episode, in which five former detention officers and a nurse have been charged with involuntary manslaughter.
“History has tied us together, forever,” he told Mr. Neville’s son Sean and a lawyer representing the family who attended the news conference. “I apologize again for what took place on that day, apologize to you and your family.”“History has tied us together, forever,” he told Mr. Neville’s son Sean and a lawyer representing the family who attended the news conference. “I apologize again for what took place on that day, apologize to you and your family.”
The remarks came one day before officials planned to release video footage connected to Mr. Neville’s death. The New York Times is among a coalition of news organizations that sued Forsyth jail officials for release of the footage. The remarks came one day before officials released video footage connected to Mr. Neville’s death in response to a judge’s order. Several news organizations, including The New York Times, had sued county officials in order to obtain the material.
On July 31, a judge ordered jail officials to release portions of two videos; one portion is about 20 minutes long, and the other is nearly 26 minutes. On Wednesday, portions of two videos from body-worn cameras were released and show a series of events that were described last month by the state medical examiner’s office and the Forsyth County district attorney, Jim O’Neill. Mr. O’Neill said that while at the jail, Mr. Neville “would sustain injuries that would eventually cause him to lose his life.”
Mr. Kimbrough did not describe what was shown in the videos, but said that when he saw it, “I cried.” Mr. Neville was booked into the Forsyth County jail in Winston-Salem on Dec. 1, on a charge of assaulting a woman, according to the authorities. About 24 hours later, he experienced a medical emergency, according to the district attorney.
After Mr. Neville’s death, five former detention officers and a nurse at the jail were charged with involuntary manslaughter. The first video shows Mr. Neville on the ground of his cell. A male detention officer tells him: “You’re OK, you’re OK. It looks like you had a seizure.” Later, the video shows officers holding Mr. Neville’s arms and legs down, and an officer is heard saying, “Watch yourself, he’s trying to bite.” A white, clear mask is seen over Mr. Neville’s head. He is handcuffed, strapped into a chair and transported to another cell.
Mr. Neville, 56, died on Dec. 4 at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. His death was publicly acknowledged by local officials in June, about a month after the killing of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis, which touched off protests around the globe against police brutality and systemic racism. In the second video, Mr. Neville is being held face down by several officers. They struggle to remove his handcuffs as Mr. Neville cries out, “I can’t breathe.” At one point an officer says, “You’re breathing cause you’re talking” and “You need to relax.”
Mr. Neville was booked into the Forsyth County jail in Winston-Salem on Dec. 1, on a charge of assaulting a woman, according to the authorities. About 24 hours later, Mr. Neville experienced an unknown medical condition that caused him to fall from the top bunk of his cell and hit the concrete floor, according to the Forsyth County district attorney, Jim O’Neill. Officers struggle to remove the handcuffs from Mr. Neville. A key to the handcuffs breaks off inside the keyhole, and a bolt cutter malfunctions. While officers wait for someone to bring another bolt cutter, Mr. Neville repeatedly says, “I can’t breathe.” Later, one officer says, “He is not looking fine.” After the handcuffs are removed with bolt cutters, one officer asks another whether Mr. Neville is “good.”
After detention officers transferred Mr. Neville to an observation cell, he “would sustain injuries that would eventually cause him to lose his life,” Mr. O’Neill said last month. That officer responds “I can’t tell.” Officers leave the room, and Mr. Neville remains on the ground. A nurse peers through a window in the cell door and says, “I can’t tell if he’s breathing.” Officers re-enter the room and Mr. Neville is heard groaning. A nurse examines Mr. Neville and says, “I can’t hear a heart rate.” She begins doing chest compressions on Mr. Neville shortly before the video ends.
Those events were captured on video. “This video is tragic,” the sheriff said on Tuesday. “I won’t sugarcoat that.” Mr. Neville was later transported to the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. He died there two days later, on Dec. 4.
The state medical examiner’s office released an autopsy report that found officers had restrained Mr. Neville on his stomach for more than 12 minutes after he fell from his bed. An autopsy found that Mr. Neville died of a brain injury because of cardiopulmonary arrest that was caused by “positional and compressional asphyxia during prone restraint.” The report also said that Mr. Neville had other “significant conditions,” including “acute altered mental status” and asthma.
Jail staff members covered his head with a mask after he tried to bite them, and then rolled him onto his stomach to handcuff his wrists, which is when Mr. Neville said, “I can’t breathe,” according to the report. “This video is tragic,” the sheriff said on Tuesday. “I won’t sugarcoat that.”
After officers moved Mr. Neville to another cell, he said, “I can’t breathe,” “Help me” and “Let me go,” according to the report. Mr. Neville’s death was publicly acknowledged by local officials in June, about a month after the killing of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis, which touched off protests around the globe against police brutality and systemic racism.
At the news conference on Tuesday, the sheriff expressed remorse for Mr. Neville’s death and acknowledged that “mistakes were made that day.” At the news conference on Tuesday, Sheriff Kimbrough expressed remorse for Mr. Neville’s death and acknowledged that “mistakes were made that day.”
In addition to renaming the housing unit after Mr. Neville, the jail will change how it treats inmates who need medical attention, the sheriff said. He said that when he saw the video, “I cried.”
In addition to possibly renaming the housing unit after Mr. Neville, the jail will change how it treats inmates who need medical attention, the sheriff said.
“Your father has changed the way health care will be dispensed at the Forsyth County detention center as well as how it will be dispensed throughout this region,” Sheriff Kimbrough said to Mr. Neville’s son.“Your father has changed the way health care will be dispensed at the Forsyth County detention center as well as how it will be dispensed throughout this region,” Sheriff Kimbrough said to Mr. Neville’s son.
Sheriff Kimbrough did not take questions at the news conference. A telephone message left at the sheriff’s office on Tuesday evening was not immediately returned. Sheriff Kimbrough did not take questions at the news conference.
Michael Levenson contributed reporting.Michael Levenson contributed reporting.