A South Carolina sheriff's deputy has been charged with reckless homicide, a month after officials said she ran a stop sign and slammed into a car carrying three people. Deputy.
June 16, 2021 - 4:28 PM
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) â A coroner said Wednesday that a mentally ill Black man who died after an encounter with deputies in a South Carolina jail earlier this year likely died of a cardiac event.
Charleston County Coroner Bobbi Jo O Neal told reporters that Jamal Sutherland likely died of a fatal dysrhythmia, or an abnormal heart rhythm, after sheriff s deputies attempted to take him out of his jail cell in January. O Neal changed the manner of death for Sutherland from âundeterminedâ to âhomicideâ on his death certificate earlier this month. âundeterminedâ to âhomicideâ
âJamal mattered, and we need to be complete and thorough and answer all the questions we have, O Neal said of the monthslong investigation.
“The family reached this same conclusion immediately upon seeing the video of his death,” the Tuesday statement reads. “Thus they are pleased with the amended finding and remain steadfast in their pursuit of justice for Jamal.”
But the “homicide” determination doesn t mean a crime was committed in Sutherland s death, said Ninth Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson in a statement. Wilson, who has not yet indicated if she is pursuing charges, cited the National Association of Medical Examiners in saying that the term “homicide” on a death certificate is considered a neutral term that doesn t imply criminal intent.
The two deputies involved in the case, Lindsay Fickett and Brian Houle, were fired by Charleston County Sheriff Kristin Graziano. Protestors in Charleston have called on Wilson to charge the deputies with murder or recuse herself from the case, news outlets reported.
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