A murder has been ruled in the death of a 26-year-old Black man in custody at a Texas prison.
On March 14, police arrested Marvin Scott III, of Frisco, Texas, on a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge at an outlet mall in Allen, Texas, a suburb of northern Dallas. Scott was taken to a nearby hospital first because he was behaving strangely, according to the police. He was later released and taken to the Collin County Jail in McKinney, Texas, northeast of Allen, where he started “exhibiting some unusual activity,” according to Collin County Sheriff Jim Skinner, who spoke at a press conference on March 19.
Scott was confined to a bunk, pepper-sprayed, and his face was covered with a spit mask by detention officers. Scott was held there for several hours and eventually became unresponsive. According to Skinner, he was later pronounced dead at a hospital, calling the event “a profound tragedy.”
Skinner told reporters, “I’m not here to make excuses for anybody.” He said, “People are upset, the family is upset, the community is upset, I’m upset.”
Dr. William Rohr, Collin County’s chief medical examiner, reported Wednesday that Scott’s cause of death was “fatal acute stress response in a person with previously diagnosed schizophrenia during restraint battle with law enforcement,” according to his findings. Homicide is mentioned as the cause of death.
Before finishing Scott’s final autopsy report, Rohr said his office is still waiting for laboratory results.
The Collin County sheriff reported earlier that seven detention officers had been fired for their suspected role in Scott’s death. They had been put on administrative leave pending an internal investigation. They broke department rules and procedures, according to Skinner. A detention officer has resigned for the eighth time. The officers’ identities have not been revealed.
Scott’s death is being investigated by the Texas Rangers Division of the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Scott’s family said he had schizophrenia and was in the midst of a mental health crisis while incarcerated.
In an interview with ABC News earlier this month, Lee Merritt, a civil rights lawyer who is representing Scott’s family, said, “He was using [marijuana] to self-medicate after being diagnosed with schizophrenia for two years.” He said, “Here, in a largely white area, Marvin stood out. He wasn’t even given the benefit of the doubt as someone who needed to go to a medical facility.”
The family went to the Collin County Courthouse in McKinney on Wednesday morning to watch footage of the fatal incident, which they are demanding be brought to justice. The video has not been made available to the public.
At a press conference later that day, Scott’s mother, LaSandra Scott, said, “What we saw today was horrific, inhumane, very disheartening.” She said, “We want these individuals arrested immediately.”
