Dallas Police Release Video of In-Custody Death of Man Transported to Medical City Green Oaks

 



Dallas Police on Saturday released a video of the in-custody death of Steve Keith Jarrell Jr., a 35-year-old man who fell unconscious as officers transported him to Medical City Green Oaks Hospital early Tuesday and later died.

Major Danny Williams of the Dallas police criminal investigations bureau announced the release of the body-worn camera video as part of the department's new video release policy.

The nearly hour-long video shows officers arriving at Jarrell's home in the 2000 block of Prichard Lane around 12:43 a.m. They are met by his mother who explains that her son is schizophrenic and thinks he is falling, and that she needed help getting him to Green Oaks.

Jarrell's mother said he last took his medicine around 8 p.m. but that she believes he has been missing doses. She said her son acknowledge that he needs to go to the hospital. She tells the officers that her son is nonviolent.

The officers tell her that they can help get Jarrell into her vehicle and she can take him to Green Oaks or that they can take him in handcuffs. Once inside the home, Jarrell indicates he wants to go with the officers and his mother agrees.

At one point, Jarrell falls to the ground and begins to moan. The officers help move him to the bed and he is eventually handcuffed and officers walk him to the squad car, pausing a couple of times as Jarrell sits on the ground.

Jarrell can be heard moaning at the start of the drive and says he cannot breathe and needs water. The officer explains he cannot give him anything to drink and says he will turn up the air-conditioner. The officer says they will be there in 18 minutes.

About five minutes into the drive, the officers ask if he's doing OK, but do not appear to get a response. A couple of minutes later, one officer asks the other if Jarrell's vitals were checked before they left and the other officer responds that they were.

Major Williams said Dallas Fire-Rescue medically cleared Jarrell at the house before he was taken to Green Oaks.

About 11 minutes later, the officers arrive at the old entrance to Green Oaks and there is a period of confusion as an officer, who says they have not been there in years, tries to figure out where to check in. An officer shines a light into the vehicle, and finds Jarrell slumped over in the back seat, seemingly unconscious, with his eyes open.

The officer repeatedly call his name and then calls for other officers to help get him out of the car, the officers then lay him on the ground and lean him on his side. One officer calls for an ambulance as the other officers check for a pulse. Jarrell has dark-colored fluid coming out of his nose and mouth. Williams said Green Oaks medical personnel assisted with CPR and the video shows one person begins to perform chest compressions.

About 7 minutes after arriving at Green Oaks and with no ambulance in sight, the decision is made to bring Jarrell in the squad car to the hospital. Someone is heard saying Jarrell isn't breathing.

As chest compressions continue in the backseat as the officers travel the short distance to Medical City Dallas Hospital, where Jarrell is taken out of the squad car and placed on the ground. Chest compressions continue as he is loaded onto a gurney and wheeled into a room in the hospital, where Jarrell later died.

Police said the Office of Community Police Oversight has viewed the video, and detectives have met with Jarrell's family to watch it as well.

The Special Investigations Unit is conducting an in custody death investigation and the Dallas County District Attorney's Office is conducting an independent investigation.


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