№00369

Travis Shinneman

In September 2019, 29-year-old Travis Shinneman was paralyzed after being arrested by police officers in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Shinneman was reportedly arrested for public intoxication. The police put him in a police van and drove him to a jail. After arriving to the jail, the officers saw that Shinneman was lying face down on the floor. The police thought he was intoxicated, so they forcibly removed him from the vehicle. The jail nurse refused to see the patient because she also thought he was intoxicated.

Later Shinneman was taken to the hospital. Doctors diagnosed him with a fractured and dislocated spinal cord, resulting in paralysis. It later turned out that the police forgot to secure Shinneman with seat belts, so he was thrown around the empty van and was injures.

In August 2021, Shinneman sued the city and the police department and accused them of negligence. In August 2022, the court denied the motions of the police defense.

СМИ

MASS MEDIA ABOUT THE CASE:

“It is shocking that in the wake of Freddie Gray’s death, that the Marion County Jail transport vans were not equipped with safety belts, cameras to monitor transports, or security measures to ensure that transports are not thrown around the back of a transport van like a pinball in a machine,” one of Shinneman’s attorneys said.

AP

FILES

CASE STATUS:

The initiative group has requested the clarification from US President Joseph Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland. The initiative group believes it is important to fight against police violence and, if necessary, will provide legal and financial assistance to the victim.