As previously reported by The Dallas Express, two inmates in Tarrant County recently died in jail custody, prompting outcries from community members and the deceased individuals’ families. Now, KERA News is reporting that one of the dead inmates died of a seeming overdose:
“One of two people who died in Tarrant County Jail custody last month died of fentanyl and trazodone poisoning, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office.
“At 5:35 a.m. April 18, Tarrant County detention officers found 42-year-old Roderick Johnson unresponsive in his cell after he hadn’t shown up for breakfast, according to the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office. Medical professionals attempted life-saving measures, but Johnson was later pronounced dead at 5:20 a.m., according to the medical examiner’s office. His death was labeled accidental.
“Use of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, has been on the rise in North Texas in recent years as law enforcement and public health officials respond to a sharp increase in overdoses. Trazodone is an antidepressant.”
To check out DX‘s previous coverage of the situation in Tarrant County Jail, please click HERE and HERE.
To read the full article by KERA News, click HERE.