US deputies acquitted after killing man
Two US deputies, who killed a Nigerian college student in a Savannah, Georgia jail cell last New Year's Day, have been acquitted by a jury, a lawyer for the slain man says.
The Matthew Ajibade's family attorney, Mark O'Mara, said Friday that Ajibade was tasered many times while he was strapped in a restraint chair.
Even though the coroner said Ajibade died of blunt force trauma, the jury found former deputies Jason Kenny and Maxine Evans not guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the death of 21-year-old Ajibade.
However, the two were convicted of lesser charges. Kenny was found guilty of cruelty to an inmate and Evans was found guilty of public records fraud and three counts of perjury for her false grand jury testimony pertaining to the restraint chair log.
In addition, former nurse Greg Brown, who was also charged with involuntary manslaughter, was acquitted of the killing, but was found guilty of making a false statement.
Nine deputies were fired following the death of Ajibade.
"I am not surprised by the verdict," said Ajibade's cousin Chris Oladapo, who attended the trial and gave a statement through his family's attorney.
"I knew that that same system that failed Matthew would not be the system that got him justice," he said.
According to a separate civil lawsuit lodged by Ajibade's family, the incident began on Jan. 1 when Ajibade was having a manic episode caused by his bipolar disorder.
His girlfriend called police for help and told them what was happening, the suit said, adding she gave officers a bottle of Ajibade's medicine to give to the student.
However, they arrested him and put him in restraints in a cell, alleging that he committed domestic offences, including battery and resisting arrest. He was later found unresponsive and pronounced dead at the jail.
Police brutality is rife in the US and in recent months numerous protests have been held across several American cities over police maltreatment of people, in particular, African Americans.
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