The family of a Tennessee man who died while in the custody of a county jail is pursuing legal action, local news reported.
Loved ones of Gershun Freeman, whom renowned civil rights attorney Ben Crump represents, are suing Shelby County and seeking $100 million. The complaint, filed on Oct. 27 by his widow Nicole, also lists Sheriff Floyd Bonner and Chief Jailer Kirk Fields as defendants.
Freeman, 33, died on October 5, 2022, after officers at the facility allegedly beat him. Freeman, who was suffering from mental health issues, was placed in a suicide pod that morning following a recommendation from a licensed master social worker, according to the lawsuit. During the afternoon, he began having a mental health crisis.
Around 4:30 p.m., two officers started to deliver food trays. When they got to Freeman’s cell, which was completely open, the filing alleges that one of the officers pointed a can of mace at him “without any provocation.” In reaction, Freeman held up the orange tarp that was in his hand and tried to move the can from in front of him while exiting his cell.
The graphic video provides insight into the moments that led to his death. Footage shows multiple corrections officers trying to restrain and handcuff him. The lawsuit says that the staff used excessive force against him and that the door operator sprayed enough chemicals that there was a pool on the ground. In the video, officers could be seen slipping in the narrow hallway.
WATCH THE FOOTAGE HERE.
“He died handcuffed and naked, with a correctional officer’s knee in his back and hand around his neck,” the complaint says. “Minutes earlier, ten or more employees of the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, including members of the Jail’s infamous Detention Response Team, had brutally stomped Mr. Freeman, bathed him in chemical irritant, and struck him repeatedly with implements including mace cans, handcuffs, and heavy rings of jailer’s…
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