Deaths in Custody
Died in jail or a lockup

Lashawn Thompson

35 years old · died September 13, 2022 · Fulton County Jail, Fulton County, Georgia

Lashawn Thompson, 35, was from Winter Haven, Florida, but loved Atlanta and moved between the two cities, according to his brother, Brad McCrae, who said he enjoyed music and cooking. Family members said he had schizophrenia, and he was held in the psychiatric wing of the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta from about June 2022 until he died in his cell in September 2022. His family's attorneys say jail staff saw his health decline in the weeks before his death and did not get him help, and an independent autopsy commissioned by the family attributed his death to severe neglect, including dehydration, malnutrition and untreated schizophrenia, and classed it as a homicide. The Fulton County medical examiner listed the cause and manner of death as undetermined, noting a severe bed bug infestation and no obvious trauma. The sheriff has said there were failures leading to his death and that top staff resigned, and a $4 million settlement with the county was reached with his family in 2023.

Cause of death, as reported: Died from neglect by staff (disputed). The Fulton County Medical Examiner listed the cause as undetermined, while an independent autopsy commissioned by the family's lawyers found complications from severe neglect, including dehydration, malnutrition and insect infestation, and classed the death a homicide.

Reported by: Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office (medical examiner or coroner); independent autopsy commissioned by the family's lawyers (medical examiner or coroner); family's attorneys Ben Crump and Michael Harper (family or their lawyers).

Lawsuit: His family reached a $4 million settlement with Fulton County in 2023 over his death.

News reports (42)

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