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Today, we published @jojot_wilkie acct of videos from Forsyth County jail. The combined 45 mins footage are harrowing, & show how John Neville was fatally injured while in custody. We give you the context & the summary here. A thread. https://bit.ly/3a40b7i 1/21
Neville was booked into Forsyth County jail Dec. 2. That same day, he suffered an unknown medical incident, which the jail nurse ID'd as a possible seizure. The nurse and 5 jail staff who were supposed to care for Neville are now charged with involuntary manslaughter. 2/21
The 1st video is 19 minutes and 55 seconds long. It is from a body-worn camera and shows Neville being removed from a jail cell. The 2nd video is 25 minutes and 40 seconds long, from a hand-held camera. Neville is put in another cell and restrained until he is unresponsive. 3/21
You will hear Neville call out for help dozens of times.
He said, "I can't breathe" 24 times. Officers told him that if he could talk and he could move, he could breathe.
Neville stopped talking and stopped moving, yet was kept in restraints. 4/21
He said, "I can't breathe" 24 times. Officers told him that if he could talk and he could move, he could breathe.
Neville stopped talking and stopped moving, yet was kept in restraints. 4/21
An officer asked Neville if he was ok. Neville didn't respond. "I'll take that as a yes," the officer said. 11 minutes later, the nurse started chest compressions. She could not find a pulse or tell if Neville was breathing.
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At the end of the second video, you will hear other jail detainees calling out, "You killed him. You killed him." Neville was transported to the hospital. He died on Dec. 4, 2019. 6/21
Neville's death was made public by the @newsobserver on June 26. On July 8, Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O’Neill announced charges of involuntary manslaughter against five Sheriff's deputies and the jail nurse, who worked for Wellpath, a private health company. 7/21
The officers are Sarah Poole, Edward Roussel, Christopher Stamper, Lavette Williams and Antionio Woodley. They were fired on July 7 and 8. The nurse is Michelle Heughins. 8/21
The footage was released because of action by @newsobserver, who filed a petition to release the video on June 17. On July 23, 10 other newsrooms, including @CPublicPress, joined the petition. Release was in the public interest, the judge ruled. 9/21
The Special Response Team (SRT) responded to Neville. That team is trained to respond to disciplinary problems, not medical emergencies. Forsyth County Sheriff Kimbrough said he is reforming how his staff respond to medical crises in the prison. 10/21
You will see the SRT's tactical training in action. They move in teams. They back out of the cell in teams. They check their equipment to make sure nothing was left behind. But as they do this, Neville is already unresponsive. 11/21
@jojot_wilkie: I'm not even sure if unresponsive is the correct medical language. In a way, Neville is never responsive. From the first video through the second, Neville is confused. 12/21
Neville does not know where he is. He does not know his last name. He calls out to people who are not there. He soils himself. Jail staff do not take him to the medical unit. They do not call an EMT until Neville has stopped breathing and no longer has a pulse. 13/21
Jail staff joke. At one point, Roussel says to Stamper, "I know you're enjoying it," then laughs. Stamper is restraining Neville's legs, and his face is closest to Neville's soiled pants. 14/21
It's not clear why Neville is moved from where he had the emergency to another cell. It's not clear why he couldn't remain in the transport chair. It is not clear why, after a key broke in the handcuffs, they could not simply unlock the other side. 15/21
It is not until after Neville stops moving, speaking that the officers think of this solution. "Since he's asleep, should we go ahead & take the other one off & get the cutters?" one officer asks. Neville is likely unconscious at this point. The cutters are bolt cutters 16/21
I really don't know where to stop this thread. There are so many telling details. In the video, you can hear the officer choose the word "asleep." You can hear officers ask Neville if he is ok, then dismiss him when he says he cannot breathe. 17/21
There's more video that was not released. The judge said other parts were too sensitive to release, like when emergency medical care arrives and they try to resuscitate Neville. 18/21
Neville family attorney, Mike Grace, has seen more video than was released. When Neville is carried out of the cell, other jail detainees sing parts of "Amazing Grace." Reporting this story has been hard. So has my other reporting on prison conditions during #COVID. 19/21
I'm not religious. I have found tremendous comfort, though, in Aretha Franklin's spiritual album, Amazing Grace. We all have to find our ways to go forward. The song is powerful, and it's more than coincidence that it is sung here. 20/21
If it weren't for investigative reporting and the work of activists, too many important stories would go untold. People wouldn't be held accountable. We all have important work to do. Good luck. Thanks, @jojot_wilkie #reportlocal @Report4America 21/21 https://bit.ly/3a40b7i
