Reuters is reporting that two sheriff’s deputies and a healthcare worker have been indicted in the death of Matthew Ajibade, 21, who was killed while in police custody in Savannah, GA.
Jason Paul Kenny, Maxine Evans and Gregory Brown were all charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of college student Matthew Ajibade at the Chatham County jail, according to a copy of the indictment published online by the Savannah Morning News. On Jan. 1, Ajibade was taken into custody when police responded to a domestic violence call. Ajibade’s girlfriend says that she was calling for help because Ajibade, who had bipolar disorder, was having a manic episode.
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The indictment said Kenny used excessive force when he tasered the restrained Ajibade, killing him. It added that Evans and Brown, the healthcare worker at the Chatham County jail, failed to monitor Ajibade after the assault.
The next day, Evans and Brown altered logs at the jail indicating that checks were made on Ajibade’s welfare that had not been conducted and Brown lied to an investigator about those checks, according to the indictment.
An autopsy by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation revealed Ajibade’s death was caused by “blunt force trauma” with injuries to his head.
Nine sheriff’s deputies were fired in early May over the incident. The Morning News reported that Kenny and Evans were among those nine, and that three other deputies involved in the incident had earlier left the department.
Mark O’Mara, the family’s lawyer, told the Morning News on Wednesday that he and Ajibade’s family were not satisfied with the charges.
‘(The district attorney) failed to get a felony murder indictment, and that is her responsibility,’ O’Mara said. ‘They are disappointed that nine out of 12 people involved in their son or cousin or brother’s death have gotten away without any criminal liability.’
Officials said Ajibade fought with deputies while being booked and had to be restrained. After making a check on Ajibade in the cell, deputies found him unconscious. He died at the jail.
Read more at Reuters or the Savannah Morning News.
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