The Tarrant County Sheriff's Office fired two jail staffers on Thursday, nearly a month after the in-custody death of Anthony Johnson, a county commissioner says.
Tarrant County Commissioner Alisa Simmons joined Johnson's family in calling for the release of a video that would show the "altercation that preceded" his death.
Johnson was rushed to JPS Hospital in Fort Worth on April 21 after jailers found him unresponsive in his cell, according to the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office. He was later pronounced dead. Johnson was arrested by Saginaw police, who said he was standing in the street and waving a knife at drivers.
The altercation Simmons referenced took place when jailers used pepper spray on Johnson after he refused to come out of his cell so it could be searched for drugs or other contraband, the sheriff's office said.
Officials said Johnson started to fight jailers so the pepper spray was used to "assist in bringing the inmate under control."
Johnson's family told KRLD's media partners at NBC 5 that he was a Marine veteran and had schizophrenia. Johnson is among 60 inmates who have died at the Tarrant County Jail since 2017.
Earlier this month, Tarrant County Commissioner Manny Ramirez raised concerns about transparency within the sheriff's office, saying it has fallen short regarding communication with the public about critical incidents.
Tarrant Country Sheriff Bill Waybourn and Texas Department of Public Safety Regional Director Jeremy Sherrod are scheduled to speak at a press conference about Johnson's death on Thursday afternoon.
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