Another inmate dies at Fulton County Jail, 10th inmate death this year

(ATLANTA) — Another inmate died at Atlanta’s notorious Fulton County Jail after being found unresponsive by a jail official, the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday.

The incident marks the 10th inmate death at the jail this year.

Shawndre Delmore, 24, was found unresponsive in his cell on Aug. 31 and was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital after jail staff attempted “lifesaving measures” to revive him, officials said. He died on Sunday at the hospital.

The Atlanta Police Department arrested Delmore in April for burglary in the second degree and willful obstruction of a law enforcement officer, according to the sheriff’s office. He was being held on a $2,500 bond on the burglary charge, officials said.

The Fulton County Jail is where former President Donald Trump and 18 other defendants surrendered last month after being charged in a sweeping racketeering indictment for alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced in July that it launched a civil investigation into the Fulton County, Georgia, jail system following a series of reports of inmate abuse and neglect, including the Sept. 13, 2022, death of LaShawn Thompson, whose family claimed he was “eaten alive by insects and bed bugs” in the jail.

An independent autopsy report, which was obtained by ABC News, lists “dehydration, malnutrition, severe body insect infestation,” as well as “untreated decompensated schizophrenia,” as the conditions that led to Thompson’s death.

Several others have died in the jail this year.

Samuel Lawrence, 34, was found unresponsive in his cell on Aug. 26 during dinner rounds at the jail, authorities said. He was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead, officials said.

An Aug. 31 stabbing at the jail resulted in the death of one inmate, the sheriff’s office said in a previous press release.

Dayvion Blake, 23, died Thursday after he and three other inmates sustained stab wounds, the sheriff’s office said. They were all taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, authorities said.

Christopher Smith, 34, died inside the jail last month after waiting nearly four years for his trial to start. Another inmate in a mental health unit was found dead in October with his wrists and ankles tied, according to Atlanta ABC affiliate WSB-TV.

Others have died while incarcerated because they couldn’t afford bail.

Alexander Hawkins, 66, was pronounced dead last month after being found unresponsive in a medical unit cell while awaiting trial. He was being held on a $5,000 bond for a shoplifting charge.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.