Black teen dies after being restrained at Kansas juvenile facility

A 17-year-old Black teen died in a hospital two days after becoming unresponsive while being restrained in a Kansas juvenile facility.

The teen was taken into custody by Wichita police on Friday and booked into the Juvenile Intake and Assessment Center (JIAC), according to a release from the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office. 

“While in custody, the juvenile assaulted JIAC staff and was restrained,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. “After restraining the juvenile, he became unresponsive and EMS was summoned. The juvenile was transported by EMS to a local hospital and admitted. On September 26, 2021, the juvenile died at the hospital.”

Investigators are working to determine if the restraints contributed to the teen’s death, according to The Associated Press. 

He became unresponsive while handcuffed at the juvenile facility and was previously restrained with a system called WRAP. Though it is unclear exactly how officers restrained the teen, WRAP can include several types of restraints like “locking shoulder harnesses to leg restraints and ankle straps,” the AP said. 

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is leading the investigation of the incident with assistance from the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office. 

It was unclear what exactly led to the teen’s arrest. Col. Brian White of the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office told the AP: “The juvenile was acting out, and the people that were watching over this 17-year-old needed assistance and called law enforcement for that help.”