LAWTON — The estate of a man who died two years ago in the Lawton City Jail is suing the city, Lawton Police Chief James Smith, the jail administrator and several jailers.
Kent Williams, who represents the estate of the late Israel Williams, filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the defendants March 6 in Comanche County District Court.
Lawton police arrested Israel Williams at 12:45 a.m. June 9, 2021, because he still owed money on charges of trespassing and resisting arrest, according to the lawsuit. When Williams was booked into the city jail shortly after 1 a.m., he told the jailers that he was diabetic and needed insulin or he would die in jail.
Williams was lethargic and unresponsive during booking, even when one of the jailers was slapping his face, according to the lawsuit. He responded after another jailer performed a sternum rub.
“Rather than address the obvious medical issue presented by Israel’s statement that he was diabetic and needed insulin and the fact that he appeared to briefly be unresponsive/unconscious in the booking area and required a sternum rub to wake up, jailers simply noted his physical condition as ‘uncooperative’ and his mental status as ‘uncooperative,’ rather than documenting the clear signs of medical distress Israel was already showing,” the lawsuit said.
Williams’ diabetes was noted on the medical information section of his booking sheet, according to the lawsuit. He was put in a cell without a medical examination and did not receive any insulin or other diabetes medicine, and his blood sugar was not checked.
The lawsuit said Williams was not placed on frequent observation, nor was he referred to a qualified medical provider or transferred to another facility where he could get treatment for his diabetes-related decline. He was scheduled for hourly sight checks, and no medical intakes or evaluations were performed.
Williams’ condition declined over the next several hours, and he showed signs of medical distress, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit alleges that the jailers who checked on Williams each hour did not give him insulin, check his glucose levels or vital signs, refer him to a qualified medical provider or take him to a hospital.
Jail staff provided medications to two other inmates shortly before 6 a.m. June 9 but did not give Williams insulin or check his blood sugar levels, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit alleges that jailers performed sight checks on Williams throughout the morning but did not offer medical assistance.
Williams’ mother called the jail the morning of June 9 and told officials that her son was diabetic and needed insulin, according to the lawsuit. Later that morning, Williams was brought before the municipal court judge via video. During his court appearance, Williams told the judge and detention officers in the room that he was diabetic, needed insulin and was going to die in the jail, according to the lawsuit.
“Despite knowledge of Israel’s diabetes and need for insulin, as well as his obvious severe symptoms and declining condition, these jailers did nothing to provide Israel any medication, insulin, check his blood sugar levels, check his vital signs, refer him to a qualified medical provider, or take him to a medical facility where he could be checked out and given insulin,” the lawsuit said.
Williams’ condition continued to decline throughout that day and the following day, but jailers failed to offer medical assistance, according to the lawsuit.
Williams was found unresponsive and in medical distress at about 4:40 p.m. June 10, according to the lawsuit. Jail staff called fire and ambulance services, but Williams was pronounced dead at about 5:15 p.m.
The lawsuit said jail staff and officials knew that Williams was ill, as they reported that information to the medical examiner’s office during an investigation into his death.
Damages
The lawsuit said jail staff and officials failed to provide necessary medical care to Williams, and their negligence led to his death.
Kent Williams, who filed the lawsuit as a representative of Williams’ estate, is seeking more than $5 million in punitive damages, plus attorneys’ fees and other costs.
The city does not generally comment on pending litigation, officials said in a statement released Wednesday.
“The death of Israel Williams was extremely tragic,” the statement said. “The city will respond to the allegation raised in the suit at the appropriate time and place.”