Gershun Freeman
Gershun Freeman was 33. His mother, Kimberly Freeman, said he wore his heart on his sleeve, and his father, George Burks, spoke of him as his baby. He was held at the Shelby County Jail at 201 Poplar in Memphis, and on October 5, 2022, he died after an altercation with corrections officers, which his family believed happened during a mental health crisis. The medical examiner's autopsy cites cardiovascular disease aggravated by a physical altercation and subdual, classifies the death as a homicide, and notes that this does not mean criminal intent. Video released by prosecutors shows officers punching, kicking and pepper-spraying him, and an officer kneeling on his back for about four minutes until he stopped moving; the sheriff said he died of a heart attack while being restrained and that the video lacks context, and in August 2026 a jury convicted one former jailer of criminally negligent homicide and acquitted another.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by staff (disputed; neglect alleged). The medical examiner ruled the death a homicide, citing heart disease worsened by a physical altercation and subdual; Sheriff Floyd Bonner says he died of a heart attack while being restrained, and the family's attorneys and a former cellmate say officers beat him, and a former cellmate says nearly an hour passed before medical aid arrived.
Reported by: Shelby County medical examiner's autopsy report (medical examiner or coroner); Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner (the agency that held him); Freeman family and their attorneys (family or their lawyers); Jacob Wilder, former cellmate (witnesses).
Lawsuit: His family sued Sheriff Floyd Bonner, the jail chief and Shelby County in federal court in 2023 (Freeman v. Bonner), and no settlement or verdict has been reported. Court record: Freeman v. Bonner (W.D. Tenn., 2023).
Sources (27)
- TBI investigating inmate death at 201 Poplar
- Advocates unsurprised, but outraged, by death at 201 Poplar
- Witness speaks out after Gershun Freeman's death while in custody at 201 Poplar
- A Black Man Died in Memphis Jail After Beating From Cops
- New facts in death of Shelby County Jail inmate emerge
- Calls for reform at 201 Poplar reignited after the death of Gershun Freeman
- Video released showing incident that led to 201 Poplar inmate’s death
- Conditions at 201 Poplar questioned in wake of Gershun Freeman video
- 9 deputies indicted in death of Black inmate who was violently beaten in Memphis jail
- Sheriff says 9 deputies charged in death of man beaten in Tennessee jail
- Shelby County Correctional Officers Indicted for In-Custody Death
- Indictments released after jailers charged in connection with inmate's death
- 9 deputies charged in death of man beaten in Memphis jail, including 2 for second-degree murder
- Nine Shelby County Deputies Indicted In The Beating Death Of Memphis Jail Inmate Gershun Freeman
- Final corrections deputy in Gershun Freeman case booked
- Six of 9 deputies charged in death of man beaten in Memphis jail plead not guilty
- 6 of 9 deputies charged in death of man beaten in Memphis jail plead not guilty
- 2 Shelby County jailers indicted in Gershun Freeman death had past use of force violations
- Surveillance videos show Shelby County jailers using violence against inmates
- Judge grants separate cases for 9 corrections deputies accused in Gershun Freeman death
- Trial date pushed back for two deputies charged in Gershun Freeman's death
- ‘Coughing, struggling to breathe:’ Jail nurse, forensic pathologist testify in Gershun Freeman murder trial
- ‘Stomped to death:’ Gershun Freeman’s family speaks out after split verdict in Shelby Co. Jail murder trial
- Verdict reached: One Shelby County deputy acquitted, another convicted in death of inmate Gershun Freeman
- Jury returns different verdicts for jailers in death of Gershun Freeman
- Gershun Freeman’s Family Speaks Out After Split Verdicts In Jail Death Case | VIDEO
- Sentencing delayed for Shelby Co. jailer convicted in death of inmate Gershun Freeman