At least 13 inmates have now died at this bug-infested Atlanta jail under DOJ investigation

At least 13 inmates have now died at this bug-infested Atlanta jail under DOJ investigation

Three weeks after the Department of Justice announced an investigation into Atlanta’s Fulton County Jail, where a man died in September after being “eaten alive by insects and bed bugs,” authorities announced that another man died at the facility Monday.

Forty-year-old Montay Stinson was found unresponsive in his cell around 11:45 p.m., according to a news release distributed by the Fulton County Sheriff’s Dept. Jail and medical personnel began performing life-saving measures but were unable to revive Stinson, who did not appear to be injured.

The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office will conduct an autopsy to determine Stinson’s manner of death. He had been at the jail since Oct. 5 on a second degree burglary charge. His bond was set at $3,000.

Stinson’s death comes almost a year after 35-year-old Lashawn Thompson was found dead in the jail’s psychiatric ward from what the Fulton County Medical Examiner described as a “severe bed bug infestation.” However, that office concluded that Thompson’s cause of death was undetermined.

Thompson’s family and advocates have called for the jail to be shut down. On Wednesday, his family reached a $4 million settlement with the county over his death. The settlement was approved by County commissioners with a 6-0 vote, The Atlanta-Journal Constitution reported.

Following the announcement of the settlement, Harper and renowned civil rights attorney Ben Crump released a joint statement celebrating the news while emphasizing their intent to continue fighting for justice.

“While we are satisfied to reach settlements in these matters with Fulton County and unidentified entities for undisclosed amounts, we are nowhere near the end of this journey to full justice.”

He continued: “We will continue to work with the Thompson family –– and the community that rallied behind them –– to ensure that a tragedy like this one never happens to another family or takes one more life.

“Lashawn’s life mattered, and together, we can demand and motivate significant change in his name. That will be the legacy of Lashawn Thompson.”

Thompson’s family has previously called for the jail to be shut down. Shortly after news of his death was released, Fulton County transported 600 people to other county facilities. It’s been estimated that a new Fulton County Jail would cost approximately $1 billion.

Gerald A. Griggs, president of Georgia’s NAACP, previously told Reckon that his organization was aware of at least 11 other people dying at the jail over 10 years before the world knew about Thompson’s death. The Fulton County Sheriff’s Department confirmed that number.

Still, he did not specifically advocate for shutting the jail’s doors.

It’s not clear when the DOJ plans to finish its probe.

In a news release, the agency said it would be launching a civil investigation into conditions at the facility, explaining that it has reason to believe that the building is structurally unsafe, officers are using excessive force and incarcerated people are sustaining serious injuries and being murdered.

The investigation will also seek to find if jail staff discriminate against people with psychiatric conditions.