Russell Fincham
Russell Fincham was 25 when he died on July 6, 2022. His mother remembers him as a happy child who loved hunting snakes and crawfish with his older sister, played for a while on the Butler High football team in Matthews, and loved his friends and being silly. He died in the detox unit of the Mecklenburg County detention center in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he was held, and the family's lawsuit and WBTV reporting link his death to an overdose. Video released to WBTV shows that about 70 minutes passed between an officer first seeing him in distress and staff entering the unit, and that a nurse left after checking his blood pressure. The family's lawsuit against the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office alleges deliberate indifference and says he did not receive Narcan until 8:29 a.m.; the sheriff's office declined to comment on the active litigation.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of an overdose (neglect alleged). The family's lawsuit says Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office staff were deliberately indifferent, waiting about 70 minutes after an officer saw him in distress before entering the unit and delaying Narcan until 8:29 a.m.
Reported by: Family's lawsuit against the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office (family or their lawyers); WBTV (reporters).
Lawsuit: His family sued the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office over his death, and the reporting does not state any settlement or award amount.