Coroner rules death of college student in police custody a homicide

theGRIO REPORT - A Georgia coroner has ruled the death of 22-year-old Matthew Ajibade, a Nigerian student at Atlanta's Savannah College of Art and Design, a homicide by blunt force trauma to the head and upper body inflicted at the Chatham County Detention Center in January.

A Georgia coroner has ruled the death of a 22-year-old college student in police custody a homicide.

The student, Mathew Ajibade, was arrested in January on a number of charges, including domestic violence.

The coroner said Ajibade died as a result of blunt force trauma to the head and upper body inflicted at the Chatham County Detention Center.

Last month, nine Georgia deputies were fired after an internal investigation revealed Ajibade had reportedly been beaten, restrained and placed in an isolation cell after allegedly becoming combative with police officers during the booking process.

Watch a full report on the coroner’s ruling below:

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Ajibade’s family attorney, Mark O’Mara, revealed to CNN that Ajibade had suffered from bipolar disorder and hadn’t been provided his proper medication.

The January incident prompted the sheriff’s office to announce strict changes regarding policy and procedures requiring on-site medical personnel to be notified when a person with or requiring medication arrives for booking, as well as new security measures to audit the use of taser-like devices.

The coroner’s findings come shortly after Chatham County District At­tor­ney Meg Heap vowed to seek grand jury indictments against the officers responsible for the student’s death — though she didn’t specify the extent of the charges her office would pursue or which of the nine officers she might seek to charge.

“I want this case to be tried in a courtroom, not a court of public opinion,” Heap told the Savannah Morning News in May.

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