|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
An incarcerated individual was killed at Limestone Correctional Facility, and it is alleged that correctional officers beat the individual to death.
Demarcus McCloud died on Wednesday. APR asked ADOC about McCloud’s death, and the department said that he was “exhibiting erratic behavior and had to be subdued by officers.”
An organization dedicated to the issue of Alabama’s prison system posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, alleging that McCloud was killed over wearing shower shoes in the chow hall. ADOC’s Law Enforcement Services Division is investigating McCloud’s death.
“On Wednesday, December 27, 2023, an inmate death was reported at Limestone Correctional Facility,” ADOC stated. “Inmate DeMarcus McCloud entered the facility dining hall exhibiting erratic behavior and had to be subdued by officers. He was taken to the Health Care Unit for assessment. Following his medical assessment, inmate McCloud later became unresponsive. Staff began life-saving measures but were unsuccessful in resuscitating him. Inmate McCloud was pronounced deceased by the attending physician.”
Given the history of ADOC’s correctional officers using violence against incarcerated people, it would not be a stretch to suggest the officers that “subdued” McCloud used violence. Just last week a former ADOC lieutenant, Mohammad Jenkins, was sentenced in federal court for assaulting an incarcerated individual while they were handcuffed in Feb. 2022. Jenkins assaulted Victor Russo numerous times on Feb. 16, striking and spraying Russo with a chemical spray and punching Russo repeatedly.
In August, another former ADOC officer, Devlon Williams, was convicted for beating an incarcerated individual in 2018. In that assault, Williams beat the victim with a collapsible baton several times.
Currently, there are multiple lawsuits ongoing against currently employed ADOC officers as well like Lt. Akeem Edmonds and Jeremy Pelzer.
There have been other allegations from incarcerated individuals and families about potential abuse at Limestone Correctional Facility specifically. A few months ago an incarcerated individual posted a TikTok about the alleged abuse he and other individuals were experiencing at the hands of correctional officers. APR also did a story about an individual who died while at Limestone and his family found out that he had bruises on his body which they believe may have been the result of being beaten.
