Demand Answers in the Death of Symone Marshall, A Black Woman Who Died In Police Custody
- by: Julie Mastrine
- recipient: FBI Director James B. Comey and Steve McCraw, Director of Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas
Symone Marshall, a Black woman and the mother of a 3-year-old daughter, died mysteriously while in Texas police custody. Jailed after a traffic accident, she complained of headaches and blackouts while imprisoned -- yet jail officials failed to take her to a hospital.
Symone was was in a car accident on April 26. Her car flipped over several times, then landed in a ditch. She was taken to Walker County Jail in Huntsville, Texas, and was charged with possession of a controlled substance and failure to produce ID.
Symone's sister, Honey, says she talked to her while she was in jail. She says Symone complained that her head was hurting and she kept blacking out.
"I called the jail several times and requested for them to take her to a real hospital and they wouldn't do so," Honey told New York Daily News writer Shaun King. "If they would have [done] this, her death could have been prevented and my sister would still be here. My heart hurts so bad. She was my best friend. I am so angry that they did this to her."
According to the chief of police, Symone began convulsing on May 11. Fellow inmates hit an alarm, and jail staff took her to nurses. EMTs eventually took her to a hospital, where she died.
An investigation is underway, but police are refusing to release a jail cell video that recorded the incident. This is just another case in the absolutely disturbing line of Black people in America who die in police custody, and no one is held accountable. Please sign the petition to demand an independent investigation into Symone's death!
We the undersigned demand an independent investigation into the death of Symone Marshal, a Black woman and mother of a 3-year-old daughter.
Symone was was in a car accident on April 26. Her car flipped over several times, then landed in a ditch. She was taken to Walker County Jail in Huntsville, Texas, and was charged with possession of a controlled substance and failure to produce ID.
Symone's sister, Honey, says she talked to her while she was in jail.
She says Symone complained that her head was hurting and she kept blacking out, but no one took her to a hospital.
According to the chief of police, Symone began convulsing on May 11. Fellow inmates hit an alarm, and jail staff took her to nurses. EMTs eventually took her to a hospital, where she died.
An investigation is underway, but police are refusing to release a jail cell video that recorded the incident. This is just another case in the absolutely disturbing line of Black people in America who die in police custody, and no one is held accountable.
Please conduct an independent investigation into Symone's death. Thank you.