Nine sheriff’s deputies in Chatham County, Ga., were fired on Friday following an investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation into the death of black inmate Matthew Ajibade in January.
The Chatham County Sheriff’s Office said that Ajibade, who suffered from bipolar disorder, died after a deputy use a Taser on him and he was placed in isolation in a restraining chair, according to Georgia television station WTOC.
Ajibade’s family alleges that a deputy used a Taser on Ajibade while he was in the restraining chair and then left him unattended, according to NBC News. Ajibade was booked and restrained by deputies after he allegedly hit his girlfriend and broke a police officer’s nose.
The Chatham County sheriff, which also conducted an investigation into Ajibade’s death and office procedures, announced new policies on Friday, including new medical procedures and a policy on when Tasers cannot be used.
The memo from the sheriff’s office said that their policy prohibits deputies from using a Taser on an inmate who is already in restraints.
“Less than lethal force may only be used to gain control over a non-compliant and/or aggressive subject, and is never applied maliciously or as punishment,” the memo reads, according to the Savannah Morning News.
Ajibade’s cause of death has not yet been released and Chatham County District Attorney Meg Heap said that the investigation into Ajibade’s death and the deputies’ actions will not be released to the public until her office finishes reviewing the materials.
“I want this case to be tried in a court room, not a court of public opinion,” Heap told the Savannah Morning News.
Heap said that the case will likely go before a grand jury next month.
Following the investigation, the Chatham County Sheriff’s office also fired two deputies for violations unrelated to Ajibade’s death.
In other words, we trying find the best way to spin this.
So, no charges will be filed against these assholes.
Can’t wait for you-know-who to defend the deputies.
Obviously authorities didn’t get the memo it was “Whoop Up On Ni**ers Day” in Chatham County. Probably busy with payroll or something.
There has to be a whole lot more to this story. It only takes one person to use a stun gun, how were the other eight culpable? Sounds to me as though the GBI opened a can of worms with this investigation, especially as two other deputies were fired “for violations unrelated to Ajibade’s death.” That’s 11 deputies in all. Where is Chatham County? How many deputies are there, i.e., what percentage of the total force was fired? Sounds like this is the tip of a much bigger iceberg.
It kind of makes me sick to my stomach that 11 sheriff’s deputies could be so wrong that they are fired BEFORE a grand jury meets. Usually, especially in the south, they are kept on the force until they are actually charged, if then. Their behavior must have been especially egregious for outright, en masse firing.
(Edit: Oh, I see, it’s Savannah, but I would still like to see a percentage. I’d also be interested to know how many of them were street deputies and how many were staff. Because it happened after his arrest, it sounds as though it’s office staff rather than street cops. In some ways that makes it even uglier. They can’t plead “fear of life” or “heat of the moment.” Also, it seems to me that those closest to the Sheriff (i.e., those who work in the building with him, would be more attuned to what they can get away with than those in the field. Just saying…
Also, didn’t mean to reply to whatithink specifically.)
The county’s insurer picked up the phone. Mitigation of damages.