Former South Carolina deputies won't face federal charges in jail death of Black man who was pepper-sprayed and stunned
Two former South Carolina jail deputies will not face federal criminal civil rights charges for the in-custody death of a Black man who was pepper-sprayed and
Two former South Carolina jail deputies will not face federal criminal civil rights charges for the in-custody death of a Black man who was pepper-sprayed and repeatedly shocked with a stun gun, the Department of Justice said Wednesday.
The federal case involving Jamal Sutherland's Jan. 5, 2021, death at Sheriff Al Cannon Detention Center in North Charleston is now closed.
"Experienced federal prosecutors at the Justice Department reviewed evidence obtained by the FBI and state investigators to determine whether the force used against Sutherland violated any federal laws," the agency said in a news release.
Jamal Sutherland.WCBD"After this review, prosecutors determined that insufficient evidence exists to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that deputies willfully violated the federal criminal civil rights statutes."
Sutherland, who was schizophrenic, was being held at the jail after getting into a fight at the psychiatric facility where he was receiving treatment. Two deputies, Brian Houle and Sgt. Lindsey Fickett, tried removing him from his cell for a bond hearing.
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