The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is investigating the death of Jamal Mallard, who died early Saturday after being held overnight in a holding cell.
“We have had an incident occur here at the Jackson Jail, and we want to be as transparent as we can about it,” Jackson Police Chief Lee Vance said during a press conference, reports WAPT.
“He was found on the floor of one of our holding cells. (American Medical Response) was called. Once he arrived, they pronounced the individual dead,” Vance said.
According to police, Mallard, 29, led officers in a foot chase after he had stolen a lawnmower on Saturday night. Although he got away, police were tipped off that Mallard had returned home, and officers went to his home to pick him up.
“We received a call from that location that he had returned and was asleep. Three officers were dispatched and picked the individual up,” Vance said.
No struggle was reported between the officers and Mallard when he was picked up, and he was held in the jail cell for two hours before he was discovered unresponsive.
“(There were) no signs of trauma to this individual’s body that we found. No complaints of pain, nothing to indicate something was going wrong with his health,” Vance said.