Circuit Court Must Consider Whether Deputies Were to Blame in Man’s Death, Appeals Court Says
The judges said factual disputes remain over whether deputies’ body-weight force on a prone suspect was objectively reasonable.
- In a ruling on Tuesday, the Mississippi Court of Appeals reversed a lower court decision, reviving a civil lawsuit regarding the 2021 death of Damien Cameron in Rankin County custody.
- Following a 2021 vandalism report, Deputies Hunter Elward and Luke Stickman encountered Cameron, leading to a struggle where witnesses allege one deputy knelt on his neck while another sat on his back.
- Writing for the court, Appeals Court Judge Donna Barnes concluded that genuine issues of material fact exist regarding whether the deputies' actions were objectively reasonable, noting established law bars applying pressure to a prone suspect.
- Seeking justice for the family, Trent Walker said "material facts need to be heard," while the defense argues the death resulted from an overdose.
- Beyond the immediate case, other Rankin County officers involved in separate torture cases, known as the "Goon Squad," are currently serving prison sentences between 10 and 40 years.
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Mississippi Today
DeSoto County NewsCourt must consider whether Rankin County deputies were to blame in man’s death, appeals court says
Audio recording is automated for accessibility. Humans wrote and edited the story. The Mississippi Court of Appeals has reversed a judge’s ruling that Rankin County deputies bore no blame for the 2021 death of Damien Cameron after witnesses said one deputy sat on Cameron’s back while another kneeled on his neck. In a ruling Tuesday, the appeals court revived the civil lawsuit and sent it back to Rankin County Circuit Court. “We find there are ge…
Circuit court must consider whether deputies were to blame in man’s death, Mississippi appeals court says
The Mississippi Court of Appeals has reversed a judge’s ruling that Rankin County deputies bore no blame for the 2021 death of Damien Cameron after witnesses said one deputy sat on Cameron’s back while another kneeled on his neck. In a ruling Tuesday, the appeals court revived the civil lawsuit and sent it back to Rankin County Circuit Court. “We find there are genuine issues of material fact whether the deputies’ actions were objectively reason…
Mississippi appeals court revives wrongful death lawsuit over 2021 death of Damien Cameron
JACKSON — A Mississippi appeals court has revived a wrongful death lawsuit against two Rankin County sheriff’s deputies and the county itself, ruling Monday that disputed facts about how deputies restrained Damien Cameron before his July 2021 death must be decided by a jury. The Mississippi Court of Appeals voted 7-3 to reverse the summary judgment in favor of Deputies Hunter Elward and Luke Stickman, finding factual disputes about whether their…
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