11 Texas sheriff workers have been fired and 6 others suspended following the February death of an inmate who was hit multiple times in the head by detention officers, authorities say.
“We have a duty to protect those in our care and that didn’t happen,” Gonzalez said.
Simmons was evaluated by a doctor at a jail clinic and had a cut to his left eyebrow and upper lip but reported no pain. He was taken back to his cell, but officers failed to bring him back to the clinic for follow-up X-rays, according to Diaz. The officers who were fired or suspended were found to have violated various policies, including using excessive force, failing to document the use of force, not intervening when a fellow officer used force and making false statements to investigators, Diaz said.