Eugene Gruber
Eugene Gruber, 51, of Grayslake, Illinois, was injured at the Lake County Jail in October 2011, when guards pepper-sprayed him and took him down in a shower area, according to the accounts. He was reportedly paralyzed for about a day before being taken to a hospital, and he died in 2012 of spine injuries, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office and authorities. A former corrections officer was tried over the incident and found not guilty of official misconduct in April 2016, after the judge found he had acted on a nurse's assessment that Gruber was faking. Lawsuits allege officers dragged and beat him, and an arbitrator later upheld the firings of three officers and the demotion of a sergeant, while the sheriff's office has described mismanagement at the jail, including falsified logbooks and poor supervision.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by staff (disputed; neglect alleged). Guards pepper-sprayed and took Gruber down in a shower area, and the Cook County medical examiner's office and authorities tie his fatal spine injuries to that altercation; his family's lawsuit says officers dragged and beat him, and investigators found falsified logbooks and poor supervision at the jail, with three officers fired and a sergeant demoted.
Reported by: Cook County medical examiner's office (medical examiner or coroner); Lake County Jail officials (the agency that held him); Undersheriff Raymond Rose (the agency that held him); his family's lawsuit (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: Gruber's family filed a lawsuit over his death, but the sources report no settlement or award amount.