The death of a man at a jail in Texas earlier this month was caused in part by sheriff’s deputies restraining him and one placing his knee on the man’s back and throat, authorities in Dallas said on Monday.

Joseph Hutcheson, who suffered from a heart condition and had consumed illegal drugs, died on 1 August of a homicide, according to the Dallas County medical examiner’s office.

It attributed his death in the lobby of the county jail to the “combined toxic effects of cocaine and methamphetamine compounded by hypertensive cardiovascular disease associated with struggle and restraint”. The office declined to elaborate on its findings, but is expected to release a more detailed report.

A spokesperson for the sheriff’s office declined to comment on the medical examiner’s initial findings Monday morning. Sheriff Lupe Valdez expects the internal investigation into the incident to be completed within the next two weeks, according to the spokesperson.



The Dallas County sheriff’s office last week released video footage of Hutcheson’s death, after weeks of requests from activists and Hutcheson’s family. In the video, Hutcheson, 48, is seen entering the lobby of the Dallas County jail and acting erratically.

The 40-minute clip features no audio, but family members said Hutcheson was asking for help. Multiple deputies followed him around the lobby before restraining him on the ground with handcuffs, at which point a deputy placed his knee on Hutcheson’s throat and back. Hutcheson had checked himself into a hospital earlier that morning and left “against medical advice” several hours later before arriving at the jail, officials said. It’s not clear why Hutcheson was in the hospital or why he entered the jail lobby. Hutcheson’s family said on Monday he approached the jail seeking help after parking his car on the jail’s curb.

The Rev Jeff Hood has been working with Hutcheson’s family to demand video of the incident and transparency from the sheriff’s office. Hood, the executive director of Hope for Peace and Justice, called on the sheriff to fire the deputy who put his knee on Hutcheson’s neck a Monday’s press conference. The office has not released the names of any of the deputies involved in the incident. Hood also called for a Department of Justice investigation into Hutcheson’s death.

Scott Palmer, an attorney for the Hutcheson family, released a statement Monday evening before a family press conference.



“It is apparent from the ruling that Mr. Hutcheson died at the hands of another,” Palmer said. “We believe without the assault by the Sheriff’s deputies, Mr. Hutcheson would still be alive today.”

The Hutcheson family hired an independent pathologist to review the case, and said the doctor found organs in Hutcheson’s throat were missing.

“Nothing my brother did deserved to get his throat crushed,” James Hutcheson, Joseph’s brother, said at a press conference Monday evening.

Palmer was unable to provide additional detail about the independent pathologist’s findings but said her investigation was ongoing. He called the county examiner’s report “a step in the direction of holding someone accountable for his death.”