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The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation is looking into another death at the Comanche County Jail in Lawton, Oklahoma, after a fourth detainee died in custody in just over two months.
Comanche County Detention Center (CCDC) detainee Keith Bradley was found dead early on Monday, Oct. 23, KSWO first reported.
According to OSBI, State Chief Medical Examiner is in possession of the body and will determine the cause of death.
Bradley’s death at the jail in a small southwestern city of Oklahoma comes after three previous deaths since August.
Comanche County Jail deaths rise
OSBI is already investigating the deaths of two detainees who died at Comanche County Jail on Aug. 23 and Aug. 24.
A week before those deaths, detainee Matthew Jones died after Comanche County Jail surveillance video showed three other detainees beating Jones and dragging him into a cell. It’s unclear if OSBI is investigating that death.
Feds investigate Oklahoma’s treatment of mentally ill
Notably, the U.S. Department of Justice is investigating the state of Oklahoma and Oklahoma City Police for alleged violations of mentally ill people in custody.
Meanwhile, a woman whose brother was arrested and jailed in Comanche County in August filed a request for an internal review. She claims his arrest violated the U.S. Constitution and that jail staff refused to adequately treat his wounds.
Robert Charles Rodgers was unarmed when police chased him and tased him over nonviolent drug charges.
“I asked them at the front desk can they please do something to help him. Because he had no blanket, no pillow. He was on a bench. I begged them to give him something. Because stuff is just oozing out of his face and his ear,” his sister Justine Howard told The Black Wall Street Times.
In September, she addressed Lawton City Council with her complaint against her brother’s treatment by police and at Comanche County Jail. She accused first responders of failing to treat him after his arrest.
“This resulted in an indifference, a deliberate indifference for my brother. He was not committed to Comanche Memorial Hospital,” Howard told Lawton City Council.
Ultimately, as deaths at Comanche County Jail continue to rise, it may require federal oversight to ensure a criminal charge doesn’t result in a death sentence without a conviction.
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