ATLANTA — Family and community members rallied outside the Fulton County jail asking for justice as they claim a man died in custody and was eaten alive by bed bugs and insects.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Lashawn Thompson's family, is asking for accountability.
"We got to get justice for Lashawn, we got to get accountability, we got to get to the truth," he said speaking to the crowd.
The 35-year-old died while in custody in September of 2022. Crump said while the cause of Thompson's death hasn't been determined yet, his cell conditions were deplorable. He believes Thompson was neglected during the three months he was housed inside of the jail's psychiatric wing.
"Somebody is responsible for this inhumane death," Crump said.
During the more than hour-long news conference, a familiar face was seen present. Fulton County Sheriff Patrick "Pat" Labat was there.
"Now we're going to have something unique," Crump said. "The sheriff, an elected official is willing to stand with the family and make a statement, so we give him credit for that."
In a move you don't see often, the sheriff addressed the media alongside attorneys and family.
"The family asked me to come out here and stand with them. I've said this publicly, this is all absolutely unconscionable -- point blank," he said.
"If holding people accountable is a crime, I'll be guilty every day," he added.
His appearance came just 24 hours after the Fulton County Board of Commissioners approved $5.3 million in funding to help improve jail conditions; Labat said it had been in the works for some time.
The sheriff's office has launched two investigations into Thompson's death -- an internal one and another that's being conducted by the Atlanta Police Department.
Attorneys for Thompson's family said they plan on filing a suit against the sheriff and detention officers once their own investigation is complete.