A wrongful death lawsuit has surfaced two years after an inmate’s death at Charlotte Correctional Institution.
The suit against the state accuses the prison system and its private health care company of causing the death of Matthew Walker.
The 46-year-old Walker died during a fight with officers.
They had roused him in the middle of the night to order him to pick up a cup and a magazine that he left out in his cell.
A grand jury last year said the fight stemmed from commanders at the prison who authorized a policy of waking prisoners to “harass and aggravate them.”
Evidence showed officers beat Walker with radios and stomped on his head until he couldn’t breathe.
The jury concluded that his death resulted from gross failures of the prison staff. However, it did not find enough evidence to bring criminal charges against the corrections officers.
Among other things, the suit claims the officers covered up what happened, and then let Walker die as they tended to fellow officers who had minor injuries.
The Miami Herald reports the suit also claims it took over 45 minutes for officials and nurses to call 911.
While nine officers involved lost their jobs, eight of them got their jobs back at some point.