Rashad Davis Jr.
Rashad Davis, 19, had severe learning and developmental disabilities and attended special schools all his life, his family said, and his mother said she spent his whole life protecting and caring for him. On May 22, 2015, deputies found him unresponsive on the floor of a cell he shared with another person at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga, and he died at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Fontana. The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said his cellmate was responsible and that the death was a homicide from blunt force trauma. His parents' $10 million claims, filed through attorney Peter Goldstein, allege that jail staff knew of his disability and needs and housed him with a cellmate facing more violent charges.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by another person in custody (neglect alleged). The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said investigators determined his cellmate was responsible for the blunt force injuries, and his parents' lawsuit, filed through attorney Peter Goldstein, says jail staff knew of his developmental disabilities and needs yet housed him with a cellmate who posed a danger to him.
Reported by: San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department (the agency that held him); parents' lawsuit filed through attorney Peter Goldstein (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: His parents filed $10 million in wrongful death, negligence, civil rights and Americans with Disabilities Act claims over his death, and no settlement or award is reported.