CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Authorities said 52-year-old inmate Jerome Thompson died after jumping from the second floor at the Mecklenburg County jail Wednesday night.
He underwent surgery but was pronounced dead around 7 a.m. Thursday.
Channel 9 learned there were warning signs before Thompson became the third inmate death at the jail in the past two weeks.
Court documents laid out a timeline of the critical moments before this man's recent death.
Mecklenburg County deputies investigate death of inmate
[Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office investigates fourth death at jail this year]
Thompson’s arrest warrant said he was living in a motel, but was thrown out.
Later that night, police were called out to a local animal hospital in regards to a black male named Jerome who dropped off his cat and said he was going to kill himself.
The man also said his wife had just died and everything was falling apart.
(Jerome Thompson)
The arrest warrant said that moments later, Thompson went back to the motel and shot the motel clerk who has kicked him out.
Police arrested Thompson Wednesday and the Sheriff’s Office said he jumped that same day,
Sheriff-elect Garry McFadden said he's hearing concerns from the community over the recent inmate deaths, which includes Thompson's family
Thompson is the fourth inmate death at the jail this year,
“I have a lot of concerns about it,” McFadden said. “I told them I would try to look into it, but then we stopped after the Sheriff's Office did contact the family and they did talk to the Medical Examiner's Office.
The Sheriff’s Office didn’t respond when Channel 9 asked if they knew about that suicide call or if Thompson was placed under special surveillance.
The Sheriff’s Office said they have staff with mental health training and prevented 27 suicides since last year.
The Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office sent this statement:
"All inmate deaths that occur in Mecklenburg County are investigated by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. Every in-custody death is reported to the State as required in N.C.G.S. and we submit to jail inspections both State and Federal, as well as by the American Correctional Association (ACA).
The current jail population (1,516 as of July 12, 2018) is only 51 percent of our total capacity.
In addition to Customer Care Solutions (CCS), an accredited healthcare service provider that provides medical care to inmates at the Mecklenburg County Jail (MCJ) and jails across the country, MCSO detention officers also go through extensive training to identify individuals in crisis. In doing so, they have earned certifications from the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT), which is a nationally recognized program that has been touted by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). MCSO detention officers have also received certifications from Mental Health America (MHA) and the American Correctional Association (ACA). This training provides Mecklenburg County detention officers with the tools to properly assess and respond to individuals with mental illness.
"Unfortunately, the Mecklenburg County Jail does not always receive inmates who are in the best health. MCJ inmates get excellent medical care. However, just as in the general population, there are incarcerated individuals with serious, even terminal health conditions, including stage 4 cancer. Therefore, just as in the general population, even with the best medical care available, there are individuals who may not survive due to the unpreventable and inevitable progressive deterioration of their health, attributable solely to health issues that began prior to incarceration.
As stated numerous times previously and as clearly evidenced by MCJ inspection scores, the MCJ meets or exceeds all stringent detention facility conditions imposed by the ACA and other impartial state and federal inspection authorities. These standards address, among other things, provision of proper nourishment, facility conditions, staffing and medical care. As evidenced by these inspection scores, the MCJ has been and continues to indisputably and consistently receive outstanding management scores and provide excellent inmate care."