Three More People Named In Texas Jail Wrongful Death Lawsuit

Three more people have been named in a federal lawsuit filed by the family of a Black man who died in a Texas jail earlier this year.

The lawsuit alleges that 31-year-old Anthony Johnson Jr. “is no longer alive due to the inhumane treatment, lack of compassion, egregious and unconscionable actions, inexcusable, neglect and cowardice acts of multiple jailers at the Tarrant County Jail.”

The suit initially named deputies Rafael Moreno and Joe Garcia; both men were charged with murder in June and subsequently fired from the sheriff’s office. In an amended suit filed Sunday night, Johnson’s family also names deputies JaQuavious Simmons, Elijah Marez and Johnathan Nymoen. The lawsuit also lists “John Doe Jailers 1-10” as defendants.

The Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office did not respond to HuffPost’s request for comment on the amended lawsuit.

On April 21, Johnson, a former Marine, died in custody at the Tarrant County Jail after Moreno kneeled on his back during a routine contraband check.

Surveillance footage from the incident shows deputies surrounding Johnson as they pull him to the ground during a struggle. A phone video recording released by the sheriff’s office shows Moreno kneeling on Johnson’s back as Johnson shouts that he can’t breathe.

“Johnson was held down by Defendants Simmons, Marez, Nymoen and the John Doe jailers, as Moreno used bodyweight force on Johnson to end his life. At no time did Defendant Garcia attempt to intervene although he was in a position to do so,” the lawsuit alleges.

The lawsuit also says Simmons “unjustifiably” sprayed pepper spray directly into Johnson’s mouth.

Simmons, Marez and Nymoen are also accused of punching and kicking Johnson multiple times. The jailers had opportunities to intervene but did not, according to the lawsuit.

Johnson’s family previously told HuffPost that he had not slept for two days and had recently gone to a mental health hospital due to having schizophrenic episodes.

The lawsuit alleges that the incident is representative of the culture at the jail.

“The Defendant jailers were acting pursuant to the customs, policies and training, or lack thereof, received from TCSO, all of which were the moving force in the death of Johnson,” the suit reads. “The attack on Johnson was not an isolated incident, but rather the result of a pattern and practice, developed under the leadership and direction of Sheriff [Bill] Waybourn and Executive Chief Deputy [Charles] Eckert and ratified by the Tarrant County Commissioners.”

In July, HuffPost reported that 64 people have died in the jail since Waybourn was elected sheriff in 2017.

Local residents and officials have called for Waybourn to resign after Johnson’s death.

Tarrant County Commissioner Alisa Simmons reportedly requested a briefing with the sheriff’s office earlier this month, but no one from the office showed up.

Johnson’s family is calling on the sheriff’s office to release the full footage of Johnson’s death. The Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office told HuffPost in a statement it is against policy to release any images of unresponsive or deceased individuals.