Marvin  Scott III

On March 14 this year, twenty-six-year-old African American Marvin Scott III died in custody after he was charged with illegal possession of marijuana (less than 2 ounces).

According to the conclusion of the pathologist, the death occurred because of asphyxiation, but the details of the incident were not disclosed by the administration of the prison. It is officially known that seven employees of the pre-trial detention center have been suspended from work for the duration of the official investigation.

According to the county sheriff, after being detained, Marvin began to exhibit “strange behavior.” The custody officers tried to secure him on the retaining bed. They used pepper spray and put a spit hood on his face. When he was placed on the restraint bed, he stopped responding. After that he was taken to the nearest hospital, where his death was announced.

At a press conference, the mother of the deceased said: “We want to know, how did my son die? We want answers!” The deceased African-American’s family hired an independent expert pathologist to verify the original report.

In April 2021, the death of a 26-year-old Black man in custody at a Texas jail has been ruled a homicide. Seven detention officers, who were initially placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation, have been fired for their alleged involvement in Scott’s death. In June 2021 grand jury in Texas declined to indict the eight former detention officers involved in the in-custody death of Marvin Scott III. This decision means the Grand Jury has cleared the eight former officials of any criminal wrongdoing and they won’t be charged with any state criminal offense.

In mid-July 2021, the Collin County Sheriff’s office in Texas has released 41 minutes of jail security video showing the in-custody death of Marvin Scott III that occurred on March 14. Within four minutes of being placed on the restraint bed, one of the officers sprays Scott’s face with pepper spray, while another officer holds his head down and then places a spit mask over Scott’s head. About 14 minutes after Scott was pepper-sprayed, the employers declared his death.