September 22nd 2023.
Nine Memphis jail deputies have been indicted in the death of a Black man, Gershun Freeman, who had a psychotic episode and died in custody after a confrontation with the deputies. Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner, who is running for mayor and supervises the jail, unveiled the indictments at a news conference Wednesday, though the names of the deputies and the charges they are facing remain sealed.
Lawyers for Freeman’s family have filed a wrongful death lawsuit, and video of the incident shows Freeman being punched and kicked by at least 10 Memphis corrections officers, as well as being struck with handcuffs, rings of jail keys, and pepper spray canisters. The incident occurred on October 5th when two officers served meals to inmates. When Freeman’s cell opened, he ran out naked towards the officers, who wrestled him to the ground and began to punch, kick, and use pepper spray. The video then shifts to a group of escalators where Freeman runs up, and officers attempt to restrain him again.
Freeman, who had psychosis and cardiovascular disease, died of a heart attack while being restrained, Bonner said in March. He had been booked on October 1st for attacking and kidnapping his girlfriend. The West Tennessee Regional Forensic Center listed Freeman’s death as a homicide, and Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy asked the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to investigate Freeman’s death.
In Wednesday’s press conference, Bonner said he supports the Memphis deputies and believes the video’s release is politically motivated, as Mulroy, who has recused himself from the investigation, supports a different candidate for mayor. “Let me be clear. No action — no action — by any Shelby County Sheriff’s Office employee caused Mr. Freeman’s death,” Bonner said.
The City of Memphis is still reeling from the death of Tyre Nichols, which happened in January when he was punched, kicked, hit with a baton, and pepper sprayed by Memphis police officers during an arrest. Five officers now face a litany of charges in connection to that incident.
Though the indictments of the nine Memphis jail deputies have been announced, the City of Memphis still awaits justice in the death of Gershun Freeman and the criminal charges against the police officers in the Tyre Nichols incident.
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