Fulton County officials agreed to a $4 million settlement with the family of LaShawn Thompson, the man who was eaten alive by bed bugs in a jail cell last year.
LaShawn, 35, was arrested on June 12, 2022, for simple battery against police officials.
He died three months later in a bed bug-infested jail cell.
Photos of LaShawn Thompson’s body covered with bed bugs and his filthy cell went viral on social media and sparked widespread outrage.
The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office released an autopsy report in January listing LaShawn’s death as “undetermined.”
But, an independent autopsy commissioned by his family, and paid for by former NFL star and activist Colin Kaepernick, determined “dehydration, malnutrition, severe body insect infestation, and untreated decompensated schizophrenia” led to LaShawn’s death.
Multiple employees of the Fulton County Jail resigned following LaShawn Thompson’s death.
The Thompson family, represented by Attorney Benjamin Crump, filed a civil suit.
The Fulton County Board of Commissioners voted 6-0 to approve the $4 million settlement related to LaShawn Thompson during a meeting on Wednesday, a Fulton County spokesperson confirmed.
In July, the U.S. Department of Justice announced it has launched a civil investigation into the Fulton County jail system following a series of reports of inmate abuse and neglect, including the death of Thompson.
There is no amount of money that could rectify what LaShawn Thompson suffered in that cell.
But, I am happy his family is receiving some kind of justice.
I hope the DOJ turns Fulton County Jail upside down.
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