Victor Russo
Victor Russo, 60, was held at Donaldson Correctional Facility in Bessemer, Alabama. Sources differ on the date, but he died in late February 2022 after being found unresponsive in a segregation cell, and the Jefferson County coroner's office said he had blunt force trauma injuries. In a letter to the warden written the day before, Russo said a lieutenant had struck him repeatedly in the head, sprayed chemical agents in his mouth and then placed him in segregation without medical attention, as reported by the Equal Justice Initiative. The Alabama Department of Corrections said its investigation found sufficient evidence that the lieutenant used excessive force, and the lieutenant was later charged with assault. The exact cause and manner of death remained pending a full autopsy and review by state and federal investigators.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by staff (neglect alleged). Russo wrote to the warden that a lieutenant struck him repeatedly in the head, sprayed chemical agents in his mouth and left him in segregation without medical attention, and the Alabama Department of Corrections says its investigation found the officer used excessive force against him.
Reported by: Alabama Department of Corrections (the agency that held him); Jefferson County coroner's office (medical examiner or coroner); Victor Russo's letter to the warden, as reported by the Equal Justice Initiative.
News reports (8)
- Inmate At Bessemer Prison Becomes Facility's 3rd Death In A Week
- Alabama Prison Inmate Found Unresponsive in Cell Dies at Hospital
- Alabama inmate convicted of capital murder killed at William Donaldson Correctional Facility
- Donaldson Correctional Officer arrested after death of an inmate
- Overdoses suspected in 2 Jefferson County Jail inmate deaths in 24 hours; lockdown underway
- Second Homicide in Three Days at Alabama Prison
- Alabama Officers Charged with Negligent Homicide of Incarcerated Man
- Another Man Stabbed to Death at Donaldson Prison