The family of a Texas man who died following an altercation with jailers, including one who pinned his knee to the inmate’s back, called for a federal investigation on Tuesday into the jail's practices, The Associated Press reports. Anthony Johnson Jr., 31, a former Marine, died April 21 after the altercation, which officials said began when Johnson resisted jailers’ orders during a search for contraband. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner last week ruled the death a homicide due to suffocation. After fighting with staff at the Tarrant County Jail in Fort Worth for two to three minutes, Johnson was wrestled to the floor, Sheriff Bill Waybourn has said, and jailer Rafael Moreno placed his knee on Johnson’s back for about 90 seconds while he was handcuffed. Waybourn said that Johnson was also pepper-sprayed during the incident. The family’s attorney, Daryl Washington, said that what makes it so difficult for the family is that the death “was totally preventable.”
Waybourn has said that Moreno should not have used his knee when Johnson was already handcuffed. Waybourn initially fired both Moreno and Lt. Joel Garcia, the supervisor on duty, but reinstated them about a week later and put them on paid administrative leave because the sheriff’s office said the dismissals did not follow official protocol. “We have people who are incompetent, untrained and inhumane,” working at the jail, Johnson’s father said at the news conference. Randy Moore, an attorney for Garcia, said to The Associated Press that Garcia’s role in the fight was limited and that the use of force was necessary. Anthony Johnson Jr. had been arrested two days before his death for allegedly using a knife to threaten the driver of a vehicle. His family said he was suffering from a mental health crisis. The Texas Rangers are investigating Johnson’s death. Congressman Marc Veasey, who represents the Fort Worth area, and County Commissioner Alisa Simmons have each called for a U.S. Department of Justice investigation into issues at the jail.
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