Jail video shows Jamal Sutherland’s final moments before he died in Charleston jail
Graphic footage released late Thursday by the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office shows the final moments of the life of Jamal Sutherland, a Black man with a history of mental illness whose Jan. 5 death at the Charleston County jail remains under investigation.
In one of the videos, deputies are seen entering Sutherland’s jail cell and shocking him repeatedly with a stun gun. He later slumps over.
The hours of footage released late Thursday come after months of calls from community activists to share videos of what happened with the public.
In a statement late Thursday, Sheriff Kristin Graziano said she had deferred to the family’s wishes to keep the video private until they were ready.
“We agree it is clearly time for the public to view what happened,” Graziano said, calling what happened a “horrible tragedy.”
Sutherland died at the jail after being there for just about 12 hours, according to 9th Solicitor Scarlett Wilson. Sutherland had been in custody after he was arrested on a misdemeanor assault charge the day before.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
