Deaths in Custody
Died in jail or a lockup

Anthony Johnson Jr.

31 years old · died April 21, 2024 · Tarrant County Jail, Tarrant County, Texas

Anthony Johnson Jr., 31, was a Marine veteran who had schizophrenia, according to his family, and his mother remembers him as someone who wanted to be a trusted man in his family, planned to earn college degrees, and hoped to get his mental health under control and have a home for his family. He died on April 21, 2024, while held at the Tarrant County Jail in Fort Worth, Texas. The sheriff's office first said he had a medical emergency after being pepper sprayed, but video released by the sheriff's office shows a jailer kneeling on his back after he was handcuffed, while he said he could not breathe. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office ruled his death a homicide from mechanical and chemical asphyxia, and a grand jury indicted two jailers for murder, a charge one officer's attorney disputes. His parents have sued the county and detention officers, and their appeal over the county's dismissal from the case is pending, with the family calling for the full video and accountability.

Cause of death, as reported: Killed by staff (disputed). The medical examiner ruled the death a homicide by mechanical and chemical asphyxia, the sheriff's office acknowledged a jailer kept a knee on his back, and the family calls for a federal investigation of what happened.

Reported by: Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office (medical examiner or coroner); Tarrant County Sheriff's Office (the agency that held him); his family's lawsuit (family or their lawyers).

Lawsuit: His parents sued Tarrant County and detention officers, and a federal judge dismissed the county from the case, which the family has appealed to the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.

News reports (25)

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