Locals News in Clayton County: Inmate’s Death Ruled as Homicide After Struggle with Officers

The medical examiner’s office in Georgia has officially declared the death of an inmate in November a homicide. A graphic video of the struggle that led to his death in the Clayton County jail has been released, showing the final moments of 38-year-old Terry Lee Thurmond’s life. The video, obtained by FOX 5, shows Thurmond hanging over the edge of a second-floor railing. The medical examiner’s timeline suggests that he may have been trying to jump off the railing.

Inmates attempted to prevent Thurmond from falling while another inmate called for help. Officers struggled with the inmates for around 15 minutes, after which Thurmond was tased and pulled back over a railing. Despite the fact that Thurmond was last seen moving a minute later, officers kept him on his back, neck, and shoulder for nearly 10 minutes.

The medical examiner’s office stated that Thurmond’s limbs appeared to be lifeless at that point in the video. A nurse began performing CPR on him three minutes later, which lasted for 12 minutes and 15 seconds before the Clayton County Fire crew arrived. Thurmond was not taken to a hospital until 15 minutes later, based on a report by Fox News on January 31, 2023.

The cause of death was cardiac arrest, whichh was ruled a homicide. Clayton County Chief Deputy Levon Allen told FOX 5 that all employees directly involved in the incident were fired on December 19, 2022. However, the sheriff’s office has not yet said if any of those employees will face criminal charges.