Family gets $4 million settlement for 2021 jailhouse death of a Phoenix man

PHOENIX (AP) — Nearly four years after a man died while restrained in a Phoenix jail cell, his family will be awarded a $4 million settlement, county officials have decided.

In their federal civil rights lawsuit, the family of 31-year-old Akeem Terrell alleged that police had used unreasonable force during his arrest nearly four years ago, and he was suffering a mental health crisis as law-enforcement officers tried to subdue him.

The suit said Terrell was taken into custody after he refused to leave a New Year’s Day party in 2021 after suffering a psychotic episode.

Up to seven Phoenix police officers were on top of Terrell in a jail isolation cell and holding him down as they changed his handcuffs, according to the lawsuit.

Terrell’s family said body camera footage showed officers walking out of the cell, leaving him motionless and face down on the cell floor.

The suit also alleged that police delayed summoning medical care for the 6-foot-2-inch, 433-pound Terrell.

He was later pronounced dead at a hospital, according to Jesse Showalter, a lawyer for Terrell’s family.

Terrell had a history of mental illness and “was expressing paranoid thoughts” before his arrest, according to the lawsuit.

The county’s Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Wednesday to a $4.05 million settlement for Terrell’s family.

Two months ago, the Phoenix City Council voted 8-1 to approve an $800,000 settlement for its police officers’ involvement in Terrell’s death.

The county Sheriff’s Office didn’t immediately return an email Thursday from the Associated Press seeking comment on the Terrell case.