A Texas county sheriff’s department on Thursday announced the firing of seven officers in connection with last month’s in-custody death of Marvin Scott III.
The Collin County Sheriff’s office said in a statement that the officers were let go from the department following an investigation into the March 14 incident, in which officers attempted to restrain Scott at the local jail following an arrest for a marijuana possession charge.
“Although the Texas Rangers’ comprehensive criminal investigation into the death of Marvin D. Scott, III continues, I have today terminated the employment of seven detention officers involved in his tragic death and have been notified of the resignation of an eighth officer who was under investigation,” Collin County Sheriff Jim Skinner said in a statement shared with multiple news outlets.
“Evidence I have seen confirms that these detention officers violated well-established Sheriff’s Office policies and procedures,” Skinner continued. “Everyone in Collin County deserves safe and fair treatment, including those in custody at our jail.”
“I will not tolerate less,” he added.
According to local NBC affiliate KXAS-TV, Scott last month was detained at the Allen Premium Outlets for a misdemeanor charge of possessing fewer than two ounces of marijuana.
After being taken to a hospital, where he was in the emergency room for three hours, he was transported to Collin County Jail. At the jail, police said the 26-year-old began to “exhibit some strange behavior.”
Detention officers then tried to place Scott onto a restraint bed and used pepper spray and attached a spit mask to his face, Skinner told reporters.
After Scott became unresponsive, he was transported to the hospital and was later pronounced dead.
The man’s mother, LaSandra Scott, said her son was diagnosed with schizophrenia two years ago but had until his death gone roughly a year without an episode.
“When we got him okay with his medication, he was starting to take them and fell off and felt like if he would use marijuana, it would benefit him more,” his mother said, according to KXAS-TV.
Scott’s death prompted weeks of protests, with demonstrators calling for the officers involved to be held accountable.
Local Fox affiliate KDFW reported that civil rights attorney Lee Metrritt, who is representing Scott’s family, said Thursday, “The firings and the statement by Sheriff Skinner is really encouraging to this family.”
“Of course, we’re holding out to see everyone involved held criminally accountable, but for the sheriff to make as clear as possible from what he’s able to do from an administrative perspective,” Merritt added.
The Texas Rangers are continuing a criminal investigation into the officers involved, and the final results of an autopsy are expected to be released in the coming weeks, KXAS-TV reported.