Family of Pa. man who died after asthma attack in prison sues over use of pepper spray
Updated Dec 24, 2020;
PHILADELPHIA (AP) The family of a Philadelphia man who died in a Pennsylvania state prison has filed a federal lawsuit, saying his death was due to an excessive amount of pepper spray used by guards who then denied him urgent medical care when it caused a prolonged asthma attack.
The lawsuit was filed Tuesday by Shaleda Busbee, the mother of 29-year-old Tyrone Briggs, who died at the State Correctional Institution at Mahanoy, Schuylkill County, in November 2019.
Pennsylvania Department of Corrections spokesperson Sue McNaughton declined to comment on the open lawsuit.
Family of deceased inmate sues over excessive pepper spray bradfordera.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from bradfordera.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Medical contractor says managing prisoners’ health a challenge during Covid
Milford. PrimeCare Medical CEO Tom Weber says employees do their best to safeguard the health of prisoners at Pike County Correctional and other facilities its serves, but cannot control the number of prisoners, which makes social distancing a challenge. Pennsylvania Prison Society’s social services director praises cleanliness at the Pike jail. Pike County Correctional Facility (Photo by Frances Ruth Harris)
Amanda Lee, who said she works at the Pike County Correctional Facility, reached out to the Courier to say assertions made in the article by the relative of an inmate were false, particularly with regard to Covid safety and care. Lee suggested that we follow up with health services administrator Nicole Rattiner. But Rattiner said her role wasn’t clinical. She said she would read the article and get back to the paper, but has not done so.
The department issued a news release in November 2019 saying 13 members of the prison s staff, including unnamed guards and medical personnel, had been suspended during an investigation into Briggs death. McNaughton declined to say Tuesday what the outcome of that investigation was or whether any of those personnel were fired.
The lawsuit lists 11 guards and medical personnel as John Does as well as two supervisors at the facility as defendants alongside the Department of Corrections.
Lawyers with the Abolitionist Law Center allege that guards used an “unjustifiable amount” of pepper spray to break up an altercation between another inmate and Briggs, who they said was defending himself in the fight.
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