Four deputies from the Richmond County Sheriff’s Department in Georgia have returned to duty since they were put on leave after their roles in an arrest left a black man dead.
This is an update from our previous coverage of the case. The four deputies, Richard Russell, Leslie Gaiter, Parker Leathers and Christopher Brown, were placed on administrative leave following a traffic stop in Augusta, Georgia that left 24-year-old Jermaine Jones dead.
Jones sustained severe brain injuries when he was taken into custody on Oct. 11. He was placed in a medically induced coma at Augusta University Medical Center for nearly a week before his death on Oct. 18.
The case was turned over to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for the use of force investigation. Although all four individuals returned to duty, the agency says the investigation is “active and ongoing.”
Richmond County Coroner Mark Bowen also revealed that the autopsy for Jones is not complete.
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The victim’s father, Jermaine Jones Sr., told WXFG, “They started swinging on him, hitting him, hitting his body parts in the head and stuff. He wasn’t resisting. They was all on his stomach. He said he couldn’t breathe.”
Jones’ mother, Keyana Gaines, “just wants answers,” telling the outlet she’s still waiting to see the body camera footage.
The short body camera footage that was released shows the tasing of Jones followed by a “brief struggle.”
“I don’t have faith in the justice system,” said Gaines. “But I’m not going to give up.”
When body-camera footage is released, the family plans to protest, they say.
“Once these videotapes come back, they’ll hear a whole lot more,” Gaines said.
So far, the victim is the only one to be charged with a felony count of possession of a firearm by a first offender and one misdemeanor count of obstruction.
