Three guards were fired and six were disciplined after they left a shackled man to die. It was all caught on video. ***** The guards entered the cell dressed in riot gear and dragged him out. They told him to stop resisting, though he appeared limp. They stripped him, then chained and cuffed him to a wheeled transport chair, and pulled a black spit mask over his head. They left him in the chair, slumped forward, his trunk held to the chair by a chain around his belly. Some time after 6 a.m., his legs began to shake uncontrollably, the chains rattling loudly. His entire body began to shake and convulse , and his eyes rolled back in his head as he went into a seizure. At the end of the seizure, he slumped over, leaning to the side, and began to snore loudly, evidence of a grand mal seizure, according to the suit. They took him out of the chair, telling Lopez maybe you will be a little more comfortable, and then laid him on the floor, still in restraints. The tortured snoring continued. I went to Walmart this morning, a guard said. At about 9:10 a.m., after a second seizure, Lopezs body, which had been heaving with each breath, stopped moving, as he died. His body lay on the floor, face down, his head inches from the cell toilet. Neumeister, who had been called at home more than an hour earlier, arrived at about 9:15 a.m., and told him she could see him breathing. Moments later, she said, I cant tell if he is breathing. He was breathing earlier, one of the guards replied. Though Neumeister and others were trained in CPR, none tried to revive Lopez. Neumeister left the area after chatting and joking with Capt. James Yates, and correctional officer George Roman. Nothing further was done to check on his well-being, according to the suit. At about 9:30 a.m., Roman and two other guards went into the cell and dragged Lopez body out. It was only then (they) explicitly recognized that Mr. Lopez was not breathing, the suit said.
Posted on: Fri, 20 Jun 2014 03:46:18 +0000