One dead, at least two injured in stabbings at Fulton County Jail as fatalities escalate
This story was updated at 3:08 p.m.
One person died and at least two others were injured when they were stabbed Thursday at a violent and problem-plagued jail in Atlanta that is already under federal investigation, authorities said.
Fulton County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Natalie Ammons said in an email that the investigation into the stabbings at the county’s main jail was “active.” She did not release any other information.
Fulton Sheriff Pat Labat released a statement Friday afternoon calling the incident “of grave concern but unfortunately not surprising” given the overcrowding and the poor shape of the facility.
“Since taking office on January 1, 2021, I have been very transparent about the urgent need for a replacement jail that uses smart technology
and other common-sense cost saving measures that will relieve the dangerous overcrowding, improve security, provide humane detainment and most importantly save lives,” Labat said.
Thursday’s death at the jail brings the number of people who have died in Fulton County custody to five in just over a month.
The Fulton County Jail is where former President Donald Trump and 18 others indicted along with him surrendered last week for booking on charges related to an alleged illegal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia.
The U.S. Department of Justice in July opened a civil rights investigation into jail conditions in the county, citing violence, filthy conditions and the death last year of a man whose body was found covered in insects.
Lashawn Thompson, 35, died last September in a bedbug-infested cell in the Fulton County Jail’s psychiatric wing. An independent autopsy done at his family’s request found he died from severe neglect. His family has since reached a settlement with the county.
Samuel Lawrence, 34, died Saturday at Grady Memorial Hospital after he was found unresponsive in his cell at the jail. The other three people who died in the last month include 66-year-old Alexander Hawkins, 34-year-old Christopher Smith and 40-year-old Montay Stinson.
WABE News contributed to this report.
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