Timothy Brian Cook
Timothy Brian Cook was a 48-year-old disabled Navy veteran from Hixson, Tennessee, who enjoyed anything military and Tennessee Vols football, and he was the father of a son, Gavin. On February 24, 2018, another man attacked him in the booking area of the McMinn County Jail, where he was being held, and according to Sheriff Joe Guy, officers separated the men within about 20 seconds. Cook was taken to a hospital in Knoxville and died a week later. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation charged the other man with second-degree murder. A lawsuit filed by Cook's son says the jail placed recently booked people in the same holding room despite the attacker's history of violence, and that officers did not intervene in time.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by another person in custody (disputed; neglect alleged). Sheriff Joe Guy says another inmate attacked Cook in a booking-area cell, and the TBI charged that inmate with second-degree murder; Cook's son's lawsuit says the jail housed recently booked people together despite the attacker's violent history and that officers did not intervene in time.
Reported by: Sheriff Joe Guy, McMinn County Jail (the agency that held him); Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (outside investigators); Timothy Cook's son, in a lawsuit (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: His surviving son sued, alleging that the McMinn County jail's practice of housing newly booked detainees together and its failure to account for the attacker's history of violence led to his death.