Jason Dickman
Jason Dickman, 46, was a former football player and wrestler who loved art and graffiti and spent time at his father's skateboard shop, his father said. He was held at the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas, and his father says he should have been housed in a unit for people with severe mental illness, since Jason had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. A federal lawsuit filed by his father says his cellmate attacked and strangled him on the evening of May 9, 2021, and that officers arrived only after the attack was well underway. The Clark County coroner's office ruled the death a homicide caused by strangulation. The lawsuit against Las Vegas Metro police, the county and the medical contractor Wellpath is pending, and the defendants declined to comment.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by another person in custody (disputed; neglect alleged). The Clark County coroner ruled the death a homicide by strangulation; his father's federal lawsuit says he should have been housed in a unit for people with severe mental illness and that officers arrived only after his cellmate had already attacked him, which the lawsuit says amounts to a failure to protect him.
Reported by: Clark County coroner's office (medical examiner or coroner); his father's federal lawsuit (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: His father sued Clark County, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and Wellpath, the medical contractor, in federal court, and the case was pending when reported.