“There has been no explanation of what happened to Everett Palmer,” said Lee Merritt, a lawyer representing the family. “We believe that an in-custody death demands a certain level of transparency that has been lacking.” Mr. Palmer, a 41-year-old father of two, was a brawny paratrooper turned fitness trainer who most recently lived in Seaford, Del. He had been taking medication for post-traumatic stress disorder, his relatives said. Mr. Palmer’s family said he was on his way to New York on April 7, 2018, to see his mother, who was about to have an operation. He had been hoping to stop in Lancaster, Pa., to resolve an outstanding warrant. A year and a half earlier, he been arrested in rural York County on charges of drunken driving. But instead of resolving the case and continuing with his trip, he was arrested by the Lancaster police and detained on $5,000 bail, the family said. When Mr. Palmer arrived at the York County jail, he was agitated and “rambling,” and talked about having suicidal thoughts, the autopsy report said. He was placed on suicide watch in a single-person cell and medical staff checked on him multiple times. Two days later, at around 4 a.m., Mr. Palmer was seen striking his head on his cell room door, the autopsy report said, cutting and puncturing the back of his head and leaving bloody traces on the door, the report said. An officer ordered him to lie down and put his arms behind his back, the report said. When Mr. Palmer failed to comply, an officer used a Taser on him — twice. Five officers then entered his cell, and a 23-minute scuffle ensued. Mr. Palmer kicked and bit the officers who tried to pin him down. “The officers secured the decedent by various physical control techniques including securing his midsection and lower extremities, securing his hand by applying handcuffs to his wrists,” the report read. A hood intended to stop him from biting was placed over his head. “The officers lifted him out of the cell and into the restraint chair and applied the lap belt, leg restraints and hand restraints,” the report said.The report confirmed the existence of security camera video of the incident. But the coroner wrote that the “video footage of events inside the decedent’s cell did not give a clear picture” of everything the officers did to restrain Mr. Palmer. Mr. Palmer was taken first to the jail infirmary, then to York Hospital, where he was pronounced dead before 6 a.m. on April 9, the report said.
Source: The New York Times
Funeral for Justice 