Michael Guyton
Michael Guyton, 56, of St. Cloud, Florida, died in February 2022 in a patrol car being driven to the Lowndes County jail in Columbus, Mississippi, after officers took him into custody at a barbecue restaurant in East Columbus. According to the family's lawsuit, he was trying to calm a confrontation between his elderly mother and an officer when he was taken into custody. The lawsuit says he complained of severe neck, back and shoulder pain and asked for medical care, and that officers ignored those requests for 36 minutes before he became unresponsive in the car. The city has argued in federal court that it and the officers cannot be held liable, citing qualified and sovereign immunity, and no trial date has been set.
Cause of death, as reported: Cause not yet determined (neglect alleged). His family's lawsuit says officers ignored his requests for medical care for 36 minutes while he complained of severe neck, back and shoulder pain, and that he became unresponsive in a patrol car en route to the Lowndes County jail.
Reported by: his family's lawsuit (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: His family sued the city of East Columbus, Mississippi, and its officers in federal court, and the city argues that qualified and sovereign immunity bar liability; no trial date has been set and no settlement or award has been reported.