2 Tarrant County jailers fired following inmate's death; video released
TARRANT COUNTY, Texas - Two Tarrant County jailers have been fired after an inmate died during a jailhouse incident.
The Tarrant County Sheriff's Office released video footage of the incident prior to the death of 31-year-old Anthony Johnson, Jr.
It shows a struggle with officers during a routine contraband check. During the struggle, the sheriff says two officers failed to follow department policies.
Video shows one fired jailer putting his knee on Johnson's back. The sheriff says a supervisor also delayed getting Johnson medical care.
The sheriff's office is looking at whether policies were followed. Meanwhile, a Texas DPS investigation is examining whether any of what happened rose to the level of being criminal.
Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn says he fired Rafael Moreno and Joel Garcia after Johnson died on April 21 while he was in custody at the Tarrant County Jail.
A news release after Anthony’s death stated that he refused to leave his cell during a routine check for contraband. A physical altercation with jailers ensued, and he was pepper sprayed.
Video showed Moreno putting his knee on Johnson's back as they tried to detain him.
In a Thursday press conference, Sheriff Waybourn said kneeling on Johnson after he was already in restraints is not something that is trained nor tolerated.
"If you're arresting someone, you're fighting them. It's okay to put a knee in a back until you get them restrained," he said. "What you do after that is immediately put them in the recovery position. Immediately. That didn't happen."
Lieutenant Joe Garcia, Moreno’s supervisor, was in charge during the incident and took cell phone video. The sheriff also fired him.
"Lt. Garcia was terminated on the basis that not only was he there, he was in charge, and he was allowing this to occur," Waybourn said. "He also did not respond to the urgency of the situation. He was not urgent in carrying out his duties, and that had a detrimental effect."
The sheriff says Garcia's handling of the situation also delayed getting Johnson medical care.
"He should have put him in recovery position and brought medical to him. They were right there," Waybourn said.
The Tarrant County Sheriff's Office said officers eventually found a shank and razor.
The sheriff’s office says Johnson experienced a medical emergency after he was pepper sprayed, and despite life-saving efforts by jail personnel, he died.
The medical examiner has not determined Johnson's official cause of death.
The video's release comes a day after Johnson's family formally requested the release of the video.
The family says Johnson battled mental health issues but sounded normal in a call hours before his death.
"There are too many missteps," Johnson’s sister, Janelle, told FOX 4. "And I think the missteps happened even before my brother. And with this, everybody has to be held accountable."
Sheriff Waybourn said Johnson's family was shown the video prior to the news conference. He said interviews in the investigation didn’t wrap up until Wednesday.
An investigation into Johnson's death is still underway.
"Make no mistake; If anyone is found of any wrongdoing, they will be held accountable," said Texas DPS Regional Director Jeremy Sherrod.
The Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas (CLEAT) is representing at least one of the jailers. It plans to appeal the firing.
"We feel that the sheriff’s actions are premature as the medical examiner’s report has not been released, and we don’t know the cause of death," the organization said. "The sheriff’s actions appear to be a response to the heightened public interest in this case."
Moreno has spent nine years with the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office. Garcia has been with the agency for 24 years.
Johnson was originally arrested in Saginaw after he was seen with a knife behaving erratically at an intersection. The sheriff’s office says he was booked for drug possession and evading arrest.
Johnson is the fifth inmate to die at the Tarrant County jail this year.
