Texas grand jury finds no probable cause to indict jailers in Black inmate’s death

A grand jury in Collin County, Texas, has found no probable cause to indict eight former officers involved in the death of a Black inmate in March.

Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis said in a statement Tuesday that the grand jury declined to bring criminal charges in the death of Marvin Scott III, who died on March 14 after officers attempted to restrain him at a local jail.

However, the grand jury issued its own statement calling for the creation of a working group to find the best solutions to avoid similar incidents.

“We sincerely hope that the loss of Marvin Scott III will not be in vain. We are therefore recommending that a work group be convened as soon as practicable to study the events of March 14th for lessons learned in an effort to avoid any similar future tragedy,” the statement said.

“The goal of this work group should be finding the best solutions for the treatment of individuals with mental illness who come into contact with the criminal justice system,” the statement continued.

Attorney Lee Merritt, who is representing Scott’s family, said on Twitter that they are hopeful that a federal grand jury will review the case.

“Marvin Scott’s family is extremely disappointed the GJ failed to bring charges in this case,” Merritt said.

“The failure of prosecutors to secure indictments in this matter reflects a trend in Texas of undervaluing the lives of African American’s suffering mental health crisis,” he said.

Marvin Scott’s family looks forward to review by a Federal Grand Jury of his in-custody death.

The failure of prosecutors to secure indictments in this matter reflects a trend in Texas of undervaluing the lives of African American’s suffering mental health crisis. pic.twitter.com/6myzquPHw8

— S. Lee Merritt, Esq. (@MeritLaw) June 22, 2021

After being arrested for a marijuana possession charge, Scott was taken to Collin County Jail, where police said he began to “exhibit some strange behavior.”

Detention officers then tried to place Scott onto a restraining bed, and used pepper spray and attached a spit mask to his face. After Scott became unresponsive, he was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead.

The Collin County Medical Examiner’s Office listed Scott’s death as a homicide in late April, determining the cause of death to be “fatal acute stress response in an individual with previously diagnosed schizophrenia during restraint struggle with law enforcement.”

Seven officers involved in Scott’s death were fired from the department and an eighth resigned.

Zach Horn, an attorney who represents the officers, said in an emailed statement, “We are thankful that the Collin County Grand Jury put in the time and effort to evaluate this case on facts, evidence and law instead of Twitter hashtags and Facebook gossip.”

“We now look forward to turning our attention to seeking reinstatement for those clients interested in returning to public service.”