On July 8, 2015, Jonathan Sanders, a 39-year-old

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

man, died while being restrained by Stonewall, Mississippi police officer Kevin Herrington. In January 2016, a grand jury declined to indict the officer, and in March 2016, a grand jury determined Sanders choked after swallowing a bag of cocaine, and police had not used excessive force while restraining him.

Incident and inquiry

At the time of the incident, witnesses reported that the officer had used a racial slur during his encounter with Sanders, and that Sanders' breathing had been obstructed by officer Kevin Herrington for as much as 30 minutes. Sanders died at the scene. At his funeral on July 18, 2015, 1,000 people attended. The

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...

(FBI) was reported to have joined the investigation into Sanders' death.

Outcome of grand jury

Following a medical autopsy in July 2015, which determined the cause of death as homicide by "manual asphyxiation",

Clarke County Clarke County may refer to: ;Places *One of five counties in the United States: **Clarke County, Alabama **Clarke County, Georgia **Clarke County, Iowa **Clarke County, Mississippi **Clarke County, Virginia Clarke County is a county in the Com ...

District Attorney Bilbo Mitchell scheduled a grand jury. In January 2016, a grand jury determined that Sanders died of " mechanical asphyxia" after swallowing a bag of

cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South Ameri ...

, and that the police officer was in the right to pursue Sanders based on the suspicion he was involved in drug activity. It furthermore determined there was no evidence showing a traumatic injury inflicted by the police officer. There was speculation over whether the police officer had used a racial slur during the incident. The jury found no evidence to support that. The jury concluded that Sanders "did not act in conformity with his normal character due to the influence of cocaine which was found in his system at the time of his death". The NAACP doubted the grand jury findings and released a statement asking for an outside investigation by the Department of Justice.

References

External links

Coverage from the Jackson Free Press

Reuters Analysis + Opinion

The Guardian
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanders, Jonathan 2015 deaths Deaths by person in Mississippi Deaths in police custody in the United States Death of Jonathan Sanders Black Lives Matter Cocaine-related deaths in Mississippi July 2015 events in the United States Law enforcement in Mississippi Clarke County, Mississippi