Seven Texas police officers fired after death of Black man in jail

PLANO, TX – Seven sheriff’s officers in Collin County, Texas, were fired on April 1. The firings appear to be in connection with the death of 26-year-old Marvin D. Scott III. An eighth officer related to the incident has resigned.

Scott was arrested on a marijuana possession charge on March 14 in which he possessed less than two ounces of the drug. This is a misdemeanor offense in Collin County. Scott family attorney Lee Merritt, informed media that Scott had a schizophrenia diagnosis. Scott’s funeral was on March 30.

There is video footage of the episode that has not yet been publicly released.

On March 15, the Collin County, Texas Sheriff’s office put out a release stating, “On Sunday, March 14, 2021, 26-year-old Marvin D. Scott III of Frisco, Texas, died while in custody at the Collin County Detention Facility. Officers from the Allen Police Department arrested Mr. Scott earlier that day and transported him to the county jail. The Sheriff referred the matter to the Texas Rangers, who are investigating this death. As a matter of policy, the Sheriff placed seven detention employees on administrative leave and ordered an internal administrative investigation. The Sheriff’s Office will not release additional information while the Texas Rangers are investigating.”

“Evidence I have seen confirms that these detention officers violated well-established Sheriff’s Office policies and procedures,” Jim Skinner, the Collin County sheriff, said in a statement.

The news of Scott’s death arrived into the public eye during the trial of Derek Chauvin. Chauvin is on trial in the death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minn.

Police brutality has been an issue for African American civil rights leaders for over 80 years. In 1962, an encounter with Los Angeles Police Department outside a mosque resulted in the death of a Nation of Islam member. The incident of police brutality was focused on by Malcolm X.