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Died in jail or a lockup

Hien Hua

41 years old · died November 24, 2023 · Yakima County Corrections Center, Yakima County, Washington

Hien Hua, 41, was held at the Yakima County Jail in Washington in 2023, where he had been jailed after a mental health crisis. He died there in November 2023, and sources differ on how. The county coroner first ruled the death accidental, and a family lawsuit says officers pepper-sprayed, restrained and fought with him, and that he died of a heart attack after being beaten. A pathologist retained by the county reclassified the death as negligent homicide after reviewing the video, and the jail's internal review and local police did not find wrongdoing by staff.

Cause of death, as reported: Killed by staff (disputed; neglect alleged). The county coroner first ruled the death accidental (later revised), and a county-retained pathologist reclassified it as negligent homicide, while the family's wrongful death lawsuit says officers pepper-sprayed, restrained and beat him, and his attorney says security video shows the same; the family also alleges a cover-up, and the family and attorney call for a new independent investigation.

Reported by: Yakima County coroner (medical examiner or coroner); Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds, pathologist retained by the county (medical examiner or coroner); former Yakima County coroner Jim Curtice (medical examiner or coroner); Yakima County Jail (the agency that held him); family's wrongful death lawsuit (family or their lawyers); Attorney Richard Gilliland (family or their lawyers); Tim Hall's law firm (family or their lawyers).

Lawsuit: His family filed a wrongful death lawsuit alleging Yakima County corrections officers pepper-sprayed, restrained and fought with him, and a $50 million tort claim was filed; no settlement or award amount has been reported.

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