James McCann
James McCann, 36, was a father of two young daughters who worked in construction, according to his brother Don McCann III, who says he was a hard worker and a devoted father. He was held at the Northeast Ohio Correctional Center, a privately run prison in Youngstown operated by CoreCivic, and died in May 2019. He had sought care for chest pain and was scheduled to see a doctor, but the family's lawsuit says he never got there and that a guard denied him a return to the medical pod, and he was found dead in his cell the next morning. An autopsy listed acute pneumonia, with hypertensive cardiovascular disease as a contributing condition, and the lawsuit against CoreCivic and state prison officials says inadequate medical care caused his death.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness (disputed; neglect alleged). The Mahoning County coroner's autopsy found acute pneumonia, and his brother's lawsuit says CoreCivic and prison staff denied him medical care, including a guard who refused to return him to the medical pod after he reported chest pain.
Reported by: Mahoning County Coroner's Office (medical examiner or coroner); Don McCann III (brother) and attorney Peter Pattakos, in a federal lawsuit (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: His brother Don McCann III sued CoreCivic and several prison employees and guards over his death, and the case was moved from federal court to Mahoning County Common Pleas Court; no settlement or award amount is reported.