Deaths in Custody
Died in jail or a lockup

David Addo-Wright

24 years old · died September 23, 2026 · DeKalb County Jail, DeKalb County, Georgia

David Addo-Wright, 24, was a former Clark Atlanta University student who had signed up for the U.S. Marine Corps and was waiting to leave for training, and his family remembers him as a loving brother and uncle. He was held at the DeKalb County Jail in Georgia, where deputies found him in his cell with several wounds in late September 2026, and he was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The medical examiner reported a sharp-force chest injury and classified the death as a homicide, according to reports, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation is investigating and has charged five other people in connection with it. His family's attorney, Mawuli Davis, says six men attacked him, that cell locks were broken, that routine checks were missed, and that help was delayed. The sheriff's office and the GBI have declined to comment on those allegations.

Cause of death, as reported: Killed by another person in custody (disputed; neglect alleged). The medical examiner ruled a sharp-force chest injury caused the death and classified it a homicide, while the family's attorney says six men attacked him and his calls for help went unanswered, and calls for accountability over the response.

Reported by: DeKalb County Medical Examiner's Office (medical examiner or coroner); Georgia Bureau of Investigation (outside investigators); DeKalb County Sheriff's Office (the agency that held him); family and attorney Mawuli Davis (family or their lawyers).

News reports (27)

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