The jailer and supervisor were previously fired after video showed the jailer kneeling on the back of an inmate who later died.
The jailer and their supervisor were previously fired after a video showed one kneeling on the back of an inmate, 31-year-old Anthony Johnson, who later died.Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn addresses the in-custody April death of inmate Anthony Johnson at Tarrant County Jail during a press conference.at a memorial service on Friday while simultaneously advocating for more robust accountability in the Tarrant County Jail -- the place where Johnson took his last breaths.
"They were grieving, and I know that they were angry. I represent the sheriff's office, so I was at that point of anger--and I understand that," Waybourn told WFAA. Johnson died on April 21st after getting into an altercation with jailers during a routine cell check. Video shows that altercation unfolding and then jailers apprehending Johnson, a former Marine battling schizophrenia.
The sheriff said more training should be observed, and he tries to cycle as many staff members back to the academy as possible when they get a chance. He said sometimes the time between additional training and academy graduation fluctuates — that it can be years or months for some. Tarrant County Commissioner Alisa Simmons, a vocal critic of the sheriff, said in a statement that the botched firings were consistent with the sheriff's"inability to administer and follow standard operating procedures of his own Sheriff's Office along with basic processes and procedures outlined in civil service rules."
"They didn't do the right thing," Waybourn said."These officers knew their training when this happened, and they chose not to do what I think was right."
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