Current:Home > BackOne dead, four injured in stabbings at notorious jail in Atlanta that’s under federal investigation-InfoLens
One dead, four injured in stabbings at notorious jail in Atlanta that’s under federal investigation
View Date:2024-12-23 11:10:30
ATLANTA (AP) — Five people were stabbed, one fatally, during a dispute among men being held at an overcrowded jail in Atlanta that is already the subject of a federal civil rights investigation, authorities said Friday.
Dayvion Blake, 23, was pronounced dead around 3:30 p.m. Thursday after the stabbings at the Fulton County Jail, the sheriff’s office said in a news release. Blake and three others were taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, while a fifth man was treated at the jail by medical staff. The sheriff’s office didn’t provide any information on what led to the stabbings.
Five people, including Blake, have died in Fulton County custody in just over a month. The county medical examiner’s office plans to do an autopsy on Blake.
“The recent outbreak of violence at the Fulton County Jail is of grave concern but unfortunately is not surprising considering the long-standing, dangerous overcrowding and the crumbling walls of the facility that are literally being crafted into makeshift weapons that inmates use to attack each other and staff,” Sheriff Pat Labat said in the release.
“We have had an unfortunate series of deaths this year that range from natural causes, to pre-existing health conditions, to homicide.”
There were 2,523 people being held in the main county jail on Friday, nearly 270 above its operational capacity of 2,254, according to data from the sheriff’s office. Labat said his office “is in constant negotiations” with other jails to try to house detainees elsewhere to mitigate violence and overcrowding. He said he has also been doing shakedowns at the jail to seize contraband.
Labat, who took office in January 2021, has been pushing for a new jail.
Critics, including the Southern Center for Human Rights, have said that will not fix the problems. The organization, which has successfully sued the county multiple times over jail conditions, said in an April letter to the U.S. Department of Justice that Labat has demonstrated a “clear inability to remedy the conditions of people currently in his care” and that human rights violations at the jail are “the result of a staff culture of cruelty and violence.”
The U.S. Department of Justice opened its civil rights investigation into jail conditions in the county in July.
Blake had been arrested by Atlanta police on Jan. 25 on a variety of charges, including possession of cocaine and battery, jail records show. The sheriff’s office said he was being held on previous charges because of the January arrest and also had a warrant in Sumter County for aggravated assault.
The Fulton County Jail is where former President Donald Trump and 18 others indicted along with him surrendered last week for booking on charges related to an alleged illegal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia.
Samuel Lawrence, 34, Sept. 26 at Grady Memorial Hospital after he was found unresponsive in his cell at the jail. The other three people who died in the last month include 66-year-old Alexander Hawkins, 34-year-old Christopher Smith and 40-year-old Montay Stinson.
Lashawn Thompson, 35, died last September in a bedbug-infested cell in the Fulton County Jail’s psychiatric wing. An independent autopsy done at his family’s request found he died from severe neglect. His family has since reached a settlement with the county.
veryGood! (78)
Related
- The Daily Money: Inflation is still a thing
- Probe launched after Jewish student group omitted from New Jersey high school yearbook
- How to watch 'Love Island UK' Season 11 in the US: Premiere date, cast, where to watch
- California law bars ex-LAPD officer Mark Fuhrman, who lied at OJ Simpson trial, from policing
- After entire police force resigns in small Oklahoma town, chief blames leaders, budget cuts
- Alec Baldwin & Other Rust Workers Hit With New Lawsuit From Halyna Hutchins' Family After Shooting
- 1,900 New Jersey ballots whose envelopes were opened early must be counted, judge rules
- Bravo's Captain Lee Rosbach Reveals Shocking Falling Out With Carl Radke After Fight
- Kentucky officer reprimanded for firing non-lethal rounds in 2020 protests under investigation again
- These Ghostbusters Secrets Are Definitely Worth Another 5 a Year
Ranking
- ONA Community Introduce
- 'Perfect Match' is back: Why the all-star cast had hesitations about Harry Jowsey
- Pro bowler who was arrested during a tournament gets prison time for child sex abuse material
- After attempted bribe, jury reaches verdict in case of 7 Minnesotans accused of pandemic-era fraud
- Man who stole and laundered roughly $1B in bitcoin is sentenced to 5 years in prison
- French Open men's singles final: Date, time, TV for Carlos Alcaraz vs. Alexander Zverev
- Clarence Thomas formally discloses trips with GOP donor as Supreme Court justices file new financial reports
- Blistering heat wave in West set to stretch into weekend and could break more records
Recommendation
-
Jared Goff stats: Lions QB throws career-high 5 INTs in SNF win over Texans
-
AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Nevada’s state primaries
-
Police seek tips after missing Georgia woman's skeletal remains found in Tennessee
-
Police seek tips after missing Georgia woman's skeletal remains found in Tennessee
-
Bull doge! Dogecoin soars as Trump announces a government efficiency group nicknamed DOGE
-
Lose Yourself in the Details Behind Eminem's Surprise Performance at Detroit Concert Event
-
Some Florida Panhandle beaches are temporarily closed to swimmers after 2 reported shark attacks
-
USA's cricket team beats Pakistan in stunning upset at T20 World Cup