John Neville
John Neville was 56 and a father, and his son Sean said after a court hearing that his death matters. He was held at the Forsyth County jail in December 2019, and his family's attorney says he repeatedly told deputies and a jail nurse that he could not breathe. Video from inside his cell shows officers restraining him face down, and he died at a hospital on December 4, 2019. Accounts differ on which staff have been charged: one says prosecutors charged five deputies and a nurse with involuntary manslaughter, while another says a grand jury did not indict the detention officers and indicted a nurse. His death sparked protests in the summer of 2020.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by staff (disputed; neglect alleged). Prosecutors say detention officers restrained him face down, and his family's attorney says he repeatedly told deputies and a jail nurse he could not breathe while staff did not act.
Reported by: Forsyth District Attorney Jim O'Neill; his family's attorney (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: Prosecutors charged a nurse over his death, a grand jury declined to indict the detention officers, and the case remains in court.