A Texas grand jury declined to indict eight jail workers for the death of a black man who was strapped down to a bed and pepper sprayed while wearing a spit hood.
Marvin Scott, 26, was arrested in Collin County on March 14 on a drug-possession charge and started exhibiting 'strange behavior' while he was in police custody, The Dallas Morning News reported.
Scott became unresponsive and was taken to a local hospital where he died after jail workers strapped him to a restraint bed then pepper sprayed him and put him in a spit hood. His death was ruled a homicide in April.
The grand jury declined to indict the eight jail workers who were involved on a number of charges, the Collin County District Attorney's Office said in a press release.
However, the grand jury also released a rare public statement addressing the death and calling for a review of Scott's death and how people with mental illness are treated in the criminal justice system.
Marvin Scott, 26, was arrested in Collin County on March 14 on a drug-possession charge and started exhibiting 'strange behavior' and died while he was in police custody
A Texas grand jury declined to indict eight jail workers for the death of Scott - a black man who was strapped down to a bed and pepper sprayed while wearing a spit hood
The grand jury wrote it hopes Scott's death 'will not be in vain' and recommended that 'a work group be convened' to address how people with mental illness are treated in the criminal justice system
'We, the Grand Jury of Collin County, Texas, wish to make a statement and give our recommendations regarding the in-custody death of Marvin Scott III,' the grand jury wrote in its statement.
'After careful consideration of the applicable law and all the relevant facts, we find that no probable cause exists to charge any person with a criminal offense related to the death of Mr. Scott. Accordingly, we have issued a no-bill for each of the eight detention officers involved.'
The grand jury statement continued: 'This case was a tragedy foremost for Mr. Scott and his family, but also for his friends and our entire community. We would like to extend our deepest sympathy to the family and friends of Mr. Scott for the terrible loss you have suffered. We hope you can someday find peace.'
The grand jury wrote it hopes Scott's death 'will not be in vain' and recommended that 'a work group be convened as soon as practicable to study the events of March 14th for lessons learned in an effort to avoid any similar future tragedy.'
'We recommend that this work group consist of a diverse group of Collin County community leaders, criminal justice and law enforcement stakeholders, local hospitals, and mental health providers,' the grand jury wrote.
'The goal of this work group should be finding the best solutions for the treatment of individuals with mental illness who come in contact with the criminal justice system.'
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