Video shows GA deputies tase handcuffed man in groin before he died in custody

Oct 13, 2015

Two Georgia sheriff’s deputies, as well as a health car worker, are currently being tried on charges of involuntary manslaughter related to the death of Matthew Ajibade, a mentally ill inmate, after footage obtained by NBC News was released of the man being tased in the groin while seated in a restraint chair.

According to NBC, Ajibade, 22, was taken into police custody on New Year’s Day following what his family called a bipolar episode, during which he allegedly assaulted his girlfriend and a deputy. Following his being placed into police custody, Ajibade was handcuffed to a chair, and a spit mask was placed over his face. He was found dead the next morning, still wearing the spit mask.

The footage comes from a camera on the taser gun itself, which shows a red dot on Ajibade’s thigh and groin area where the taser is aimed. As the camera gets closer, Ajibade can be heard screaming.

After seeing the footage, the Ajibade family’s attorney, Mark O’Mara, told NBC the video was “disgusting and vile.” O’Mara, who defended George Zimmerman, went on to say this is “nothing less than torture. It’s sadism.”

Defendants Cpl. Maxine Evans and Gregory Brown, a nurse at the Chatham County jail will face charges of reckless conduct for not monitoring Ajibade’s condition, while Jason Kenny, the deputy who used the taser, will face additional charges of aggravated assault and cruelty to an inmate.

In May, all nine deputies that were on duty were fired, and the coroner ruled Ajibade’s death a homicide in June.