An investigation has been launched after a mentally ill Georgia woman died after falling out of a patrol car while being taken into custody.
The disturbing incident unfolded on July 15th when the mother of Brianna Marie Grier called 911 seeking help for her daughter, who was having a schizophrenic episode. Once deputies arrived at the home in Sparta, Grier’s father, Marvin, told them that the young woman had also been drinking. The deputies informed the parents that they would detain Grier overnight and get her medical attention the following morning.
Hancock County Sheriff Terrell Primus would later visit the family’s home and inform Marvin and his wife, Mary, that Brianna was being airlifted to Grady Hospital in Atlanta after sustaining a head injury. Primus claimed that she kicked her way out of the patrol car, fell, and hit her head while deputies transported her to Hancock County Sheriff’s Office. Brianna was pronounced dead on July 21st.
According to her father, the 28-year-old mother of two had been diagnosed with schizophrenia nearly ten years earlier. During previous episodes, when they sought help for their daughter, an ambulance was usually dispatched, not police officers. The decision to call emergency dispatchers is weighing heavily on her mother.
“If I had known that it was going to turn out like this, God knows I wouldn’t have called them to come and get her,” Mary told WMAZ.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has now taken over the investigation. An official cause of death is pending.
