The family of former inmate Anthony Johnson Jr. are calling on Tarrant County officials to release the full video from the scuffle that led to his in-custody death on April 21.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Johnson died after detention officers used Oleoresin Capsicum spray to gain his compliance after he refused to leave his jail cell for a routine inspection. Johnson had a history of schizophrenia, according to Johnson’s sisters, Chanell and Janelle.
Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn said in a press conference in May that Johnson had a “homemade shank and a razor” in his cell, reported The Dallas Express.
His family has seen the entire video of how he died, and they are trying to get the video released to the wider public. Attorney General Ken Paxton is on the record insisting Waybourn can withhold the full video from being released.
“In this instance, the sheriff’s office states the Texas Rangers Division of the Texas Department of Public Safety (the “Texas Rangers”) objects to release of the information at issue because it relates to an ongoing investigation being conducted by the Texas Rangers, and release of that information would interfere with the investigation of the case. Based upon this representation, we conclude the release of the information at issue would interfere with the detection, investigation, or prosecution of crime,” the attorney general’s letter states.
The sheriff’s office released the following response after Paxton’s letter:
“It is against TCSO standards to release any images (still or video) of unresponsive or deceased individuals. We appreciate the ruling by the Attorney General supporting our decision in this matter.”
Despite the AG’s opposition, Johnson’s family is unbowed.
“This is about transparency. This is about accountability. This is about this administration being held and being responsible for what they’ve done,” Johnson’s father, Anthony Ray Johnson Sr. said, CBS Texas reported.
“Inhumane, the way they killed my brother was so inhumane, it was, in a way, that it’s a practice. They have been taught to do that,” Janelle Johnson added.
The Dallas Express reached out to the Tarrant County Sheriff Chief of Staff, Jennifer Gabbart, but did not receive a response.