A Florida Judge Blocked a Newspaper from Publishing Video of a Jail Death
A Florida newspaper reports that video of a mentally ill man’s violent death in a county jail contradicts the sheriff office’s narrative of what happened. But the public may never get to see what really happened.
Florida Circuit Judge James R. Baxley ruled last month that the Ocala Gazette could view, but not publish, jailhouse footage of the 2022 death of Scott Whitley, a mentally ill man who died in the Marion County Jail after deputies pepper-sprayed, dogpiled, and tased him. Publishing the footage, Baxley ruled, would raise safety concerns.
The Gazette reported on September 25, after finally being able to view the footage, that Whitley “exhibited no physical violence toward Marion County Jail detention deputies before he was rushed to the floor, restrained and hit with a Taser 27 times over 12 minutes.” Furthermore, “Contrary to initial reports from the sheriff’s office that claimed Whitley refused to comply with guards’ orders, the footage shows the inmate sitting as ordered and, when he sees the guards rush towards him, he raises his hands in defense and pleads ‘no’ and ‘wait’—to no avail.”
The order is the latest development in a two-years-and-running transparency fight over records related to Whitley’s death.
Whitley, 46, was booked into the Marion County Jail on November 16, 2022, on charges of resisting an officer with violence and violating a protective order filed by his elderly parents to remove him from their home because of his deteriorating mental health. He had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and was placed on suicide watch in the jail. According to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO), he was combative during his arrest and continued to be uncooperative and aggressive at the jail.
On November 25, Whitley refused to put his hands through his cell to be handcuffed during a routine cell inspection. Guards sprayed him with pepper foam, and after a few minutes they ordered Whitley to sit on the toilet. When he did, deputies rushed his cell and forced him to the ground.
The Ocala Gazette describes what happened next:Â
The guards managed to get him face down on the ground, get a hold of his arms and legs, and continue to tase him. Whitley was no longer resisting them, but continued to scream “please,” and asked the guards to stop tasing him.
About two minutes passed and the guards continued to attempt to put Whitley into handcuffs while they deployed tasers. Four guards had their body weight on top of Whitley’s back as they held him down. He was being tased simultaneously by at least two guards who were standing at his head and feet.
The pepper foam deployed caused Whitley and the guards to cough throughout the entirety of the incident. Whitley continuously screamed in pain and pleaded with the guards and asked them to stop.
At about 7:07 a.m., Whitley could be heard screaming, “Please, somebody help me.” At this point, the tasing stopped as both of his arms were handcuffed about 30 seconds later. A guard outside the cell offered the deputies another taser, which they declined.
The guards put Whitley in handcuffs and leg irons, shoved a spit mask over his head, and continued to hold him down for several minutes until he stopped breathing. When they discovered he was unconsci
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