FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — A grieving family announced they are suing Fulton County after their loved one was stabbed to death last year in the Fulton County Jail.
Attorneys representing the family allege that Dino Walker was killed after a detention officer left his post for an hour, leaving the detainee unprotected.
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11Alive has reached out to the Fulton County Sheriff's Office for a response to the suit.
The family's legal representation held a news conference Thursday at the offices of Davis Bozeman Law in Decatur where they elaborated on the prepared lawsuit.
In attendance was Walker's mother, Chandra Toland, son, and the mother of his child, Quenteesha Parks.
Lawyers Mawuli Davis and Harold Spence stated that Walker was in jail for aggravated assault without bond but stressed that "this should not become an indictment into the character and charges of Mr. Walker." They add he was not yet convicted and awaiting a trial.
In their argument, counsel stated the officer's actions on that day and the eventual death of Walker reflected how dire the conditions within the jail had become.
They further argued that by allowing the inmates to roam around unsupervised, the officer in question created a dangerous environment that would lead to Walker eventually being stabbed and killed.
"Was their hand on the knife," one legal member stated while talking about the county's responsibility, "it might as well have been."
Also in attendance was Angela Roeper, the mother of another inmate who died back in March of this year of a Fentanyl overdose. While not part of the Walker family's lawsuit, Roeper noted she was there in support.
"I came here to support... let her (Walker's mother) know she's not alone in her suffering," she stated.
In regard to her own son's death, Roeper said to the county "I would have thought my son was safer in your custody than on the streets."
This latest suit comes after 10 people have died at the jail so far this year. In July the Department of Justice announced it was launching a civil investigation into the Rice Street facility. People have pointed to the dilapidated jail needing an upgrade and overcrowding contributing to its blight.