The Charleston County Sheriff's Office on Thursday night released video of the in-custody death of Jamal Sutherland, a Black man with mental health issues who was arrested in January after being involved in a fight with other patients and staff at Palmetto Lowcountry Behavioral Health. Below is a clip from one of the officer’s body camera footage.
WARNING: The video contains graphic images of violence and is disturbing.
Sutherland was charged with third-degree assault and battery and booked into the Al Cannon Detention Center on January 4th, 2021. A SLED investigation found that Sutherland “became unresponsive and died” the next day while officials were attempting to remove him from his jail cell for a bond hearing. Potential criminal charges related to Sutherland's death will be decided before the end of June, Ninth Judicial Circuit solicitor Scarlett Wilson said on Tuesday.
The video shows deputies attempting to remove Sutherland from his jail cell after he ignored repeated commands. During the incident, deputies deployed pepper spray, shocked Sutherland with stun guns, and had a spit hood placed over his head. At one point, Detention Deputy Brian Houle places his knee on Sutherland's back and keeps it there for more than two minutes. During this time, Sutherland says that he can’t breathe. Shortly after being removed from his cell, deputies notice that Sutherland is unresponsive.
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For a detailed account of the entire clip, I recommend this article from The Post & Courier.
