As previously reported by REVOLT, the family of 35-year-old Lashawn Thompson demanded answers after the Black man died in custody at the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta, Georgia. His loved ones believed his September 2022 death resulted from being eaten alive by bed bugs after the inmate was forced to live in inhumane conditions.
In an article published today (May 22) by local news station Fox 5, the outlet noted, “His body was discovered in a cell on the psychiatric floor covered in bed bugs and insects after he was unable to pay his $2,500 bail for a misdemeanor charge.” Thompson’s story spread like wildfire, and last month, NFL free agent and activist Colin Kaepernick offered to pay for an independent autopsy through his Know Your Rights Camp Autopsy Initiative.
The results backed the medical examiner’s original findings that Thompson was the victim of a “severe bed bug infestation.” The new report added that the inmate’s death was cardiac arrhythmia due to criminal neglect. Attorneys Michael Harper and Benjamin Crump are representing the family of the deceased. Crump described the victim’s living conditions as a “torture chamber” and said officials revealed it was “innumerable how many bed bug bites were on his body.”
“These autopsy findings confirm that Lashawn Thompson was killed by the extreme neglect of the Fulton County Jail and its staff. He was dehydrated, malnourished, and his body was infested inside and out with insects — it is truly one of the most horrific cases we have seen. This man endured a torturous death. It is unfathomable that no one working in this facility lifted a finger to help Lashawn as he slowly died for three months on their watch. Their inaction, cruelty, and inhumanity killed him. We will do everything in our power to hold those responsible for Lashawn’s death accountable. Lashawn, his family, and everyone who has suffered in the so-called care of Fulton County Jail deserve at least that much,” Crump stated.