Deaths in Custody
Died in jail or a lockup

Terry Lee Thurmond

38 years old · died November 28, 2022 · Clayton County Jail, Clayton County, Georgia

Terry Lee Thurmond III, 38, was a father of three whom his sister remembers as sweet, and his family says he struggled with mental illness and had been trying to get help. He died in November 2022 at the Clayton County Jail in Georgia, where he was held after he tried to jump from a second-floor railing or balcony. According to a medical examiner's report cited by WSB-TV and FOX 5 Atlanta, officers used a Taser and held him face down, with several officers on his body for several minutes, and the examiner ruled the death a homicide, finding cardiac arrest. A family attorney says the force was excessive and that staff knew about his mental health history, and a Sen. Ossoff letter says the jail did not document it, while a grand jury declined to indict six former jail employees and the GBI investigation was reported as ongoing.

Cause of death, as reported: Killed by staff. The medical examiner ruled the death a homicide after officers Tased him and held him face down, and his family's attorney says the officers' weight suffocated him.

Reported by: Clayton County medical examiner's office (medical examiner or coroner); family attorney Thomas Reynolds (family or their lawyers); Clayton County Sheriff's Office (the agency that held him); WSB-TV (reporters).

Lawsuit: The family of Terry Thurmond III sued Clayton County, the sheriff, and jail staff over his death, and no settlement or award amount has been reported.

News reports (16)

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Questions, a correction, or a death I’ve missed? Email me at orion.j.taylor@gmail.com.