The household of a Bronx lady who died in police custody doesn’t consider the ruling of the town medical expert concerning her demise and insists she had no purpose to die. Regardless of that ruling, they are saying they’re decided to seek out the reality and have filed a $25 million lawsuit. Metropolis medical experts stated in July that Saniyah Cheatham, 18, died when she hanged herself after being taken into custody in an assault case. She was discovered unresponsive on July 5 within the holding cell on the NYPD’s forty first precinct within the Bronx. Cheatham’s household is adamant that she didn’t take her personal life and suspects that police might have had one thing to do along with her demise — one among 9 in NYPD custody this 12 months..
“I don’t consider she killed herself,” Cheathman’s mom, Thomasina, advised WNBC. “Perhaps she stated one thing they didn’t like, they roughed her up. I don’t consider my daughter dedicated suicide.”
Cheatham, a Bronx Neighborhood School pupil, was smiling and blissful simply the day earlier than at a July 4 cookout at Crotona Park. “She was blissful and I used to be blissful to see her,” stated Thomasina. Nevertheless, she acquired right into a struggle along with her girlfriend, which led to their arrests.
The household stated police advised them that she used a sweater to hold herself within the holding cell, however they stated she was not carrying a sweater that day.
Within the lawsuit, filed in October, legal professional David B. Rankin filed paperwork claiming the town is “vicariously accountable” for Cheatham’s demise. “Ms. Cheatham is lifeless as a direct results of NYPD officers’ actions and omissions,” it stated, in keeping with the Bronx Instances.
“Officers knew she was in psychological well being misery and threatening suicide, but they did not comply with required security protocols and did not intervene, though she was seen on surveillance video” household legal professional Benjamin Crump stated in a press release. “No mom must be left at nighttime after her youngster dies in police custody. We demand full transparency and accountability for this grieving household.”
Whereas the variety of custody deaths is decrease than final 12 months, the Division of Investigations has launched an investigation. Nevertheless, for the reason that NYPD is generally answerable for the fatalities, the experiences have remained unclear.
As a consequence of a current string of deaths in police custody, neighborhood teams rallied outdoors Metropolis Corridor in September to get a 10-point plan in movement to deal with the issue. Within the plan, the Bronx Defenders, a public defender group, needs the NYPD to acknowledge the “disaster” of custody deaths, cease low-level arrests, have a Metropolis Council inspection, and extra.
“The individuals and communities we serve have lengthy raised considerations concerning the harmful circumstances inside NYPD custody, but the Metropolis has failed to reply. Every demise is a preventable tragedy, and we urge rapid motion on this 10-point plan to assist make sure that no extra lives are misplaced,” stated Tina Luongo, chief legal professional within the Felony Protection Observe on the Authorized Help Society, in a press release.
