Rockez McDaniel
Rockez McDaniel, 33, was held at the Shelby County Jail at 201 Poplar in Memphis, and died on July 28, 2025, after the sheriff's office reported a medical emergency and he was taken to Regional One Health. His younger brother, Rashad McDaniel, said Rockez always had his back and always answered the phone, and his family says he was a diagnosed asthmatic. His family's lawsuit against Shelby County and others says he was in a mental health crisis, that officers sprayed him with a chemical agent and put him in a restraint chair, and that staff were slow to respond when he stopped breathing. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating, and the autopsy listed the cause of death as undetermined, with the chemical agent not ruled out as a contributor.
Cause of death, as reported: Cause not yet determined (disputed; neglect alleged). The family's lawsuit says staff pepper-sprayed him three times, put him in a restraint chair and left him unresponsive without decontamination or medical response, while the autopsy listed the cause as undetermined, noting asthma and that a chemical agent could not be ruled out as a contributor, and the TBI investigation remains open.
Reported by: Shelby County Sheriff's Office (the agency that held him); Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (outside investigators); Medical Examiner (medical examiner or coroner); family's lawsuit against Shelby County (family or their lawyers); Just City (advocates).
Lawsuit: His family sued Shelby County, jail supervisors, tactical officers, nurses and the jail's medical contractor over his death at the Shelby County Jail in July 2025, and no settlement or award has been reported.
Sources (11)
- Shelby County Jail inmate dies, TBI says
- Memphis nonprofit announces $50K bail fund to free people accused of low-level, nonviolent offenses from 201 Poplar
- 'Families have power,' Shelby County non-profit launches $50K bail initiative honoring Rockez McDaniel, who died in custody
- Memphis organization dedicates $50K for bail for nonviolent offenders after man dies in jail custody
- Sheriff’s Office reports 12 in-custody deaths in 2025
- Shelby County Sheriff's Office reports 12 in-custody deaths in 2025
- Homicide suspect dies at 201 Poplar: SCSO
- Family sues Shelby County, others after inmate dies at 201 Poplar
- Family suing Shelby County after man in mental health crisis dies in 201 Poplar
- Family sues Shelby County, jail staff and medical contractors over inmate’s death
- Family alleges officers left Shelby County inmate to die