No charges filed in death of Duval County jail inmate who died after altercation with guards
The State Attorney's Office will not pursue charges against law enforcement or fire and rescue personnel in the death of Daniel Taylor, 30, who died one week after an Aug. 13, 2021 altercation with six to eight guards inside the Duval County Jail.
A spokesman for the office said Thursday there would be no further comment at this time, pending "other administrative investigations" the office became aware of in "recent days."
An investigation by the Times-Union and WJCT News found that Taylor, set to be released after a plea deal for a misdemeanor trespassing charge, was subdued by officers at the Duval County Jail after he refused to enter his cell and "fought the officers," according to the report. The report says that Taylor banged his head on the ground, resulting in a cut on his forehead.
Jacksonville Fire and Rescue arrived at the jail to treat the cut and then gave him 400 mg of ketamine, a powerful sedative, according to the report, the maximum dosage that JFRD gives.
"Upon injection, Taylor stopped resisting. Shortly thereafter, Taylor lost consciousness and went into cardiac arrest," the report reads.
Earlier reporting: Duval man, arrested for trespassing, dies after altercation with guards. His family wants answers.
In other crime news: Shot dead after release from Jacksonville jail in 1997, Marlon Harris' cold case is revived
He was taken to UF Health Jacksonville but his family took him off life support on Aug. 20 after doctors advised he had little brain activity and would not recover. Taylor’s death certificate, provided to WJCT by his family, listed the manner of death as homicide.
What killed him was a lack of oxygen to the brain due to an abnormal heart rate following a “violent physical altercation," according to the death certificate after a review of the autopsy done by Robert Buchsbaum, who is the associate medical examiner for the District 4 Medical Examiner's Office.
Because the finding of homicide was "inconsistent" with similar deaths, the State Attorney's Office ordered a second autopsy review.
Two pathologists agree Taylor died of heart attack. But was it a homicide?
The report from the State Attorney's Office says that a second autopsy review done by District Medical Examiner Stephen Nelson for the 10th Judicial Circuit found Taylor's death was accidental and the result of physical exertion and the illegal drugs he had taken. Toxicology reports found that Taylor had amphetamine and methamphetamine in his system.
Both pathologists agreed that Taylor did not die as a result of being given ketamine or of excessive use by officers, and instead died of a heart attack. Where they disagree is on whether it was accidental or a homicide and whether the drugs in his system played a part.
Nelson said he may have taken the drugs while inside the jail, as Taylor suddenly started acting "erratic".
"In light of these conflicting medical opinions" and that there wasn't found to be inappropriate use of force when subduing Taylor, the State Attorney's Office decided not to pursue charges, according to the report.
The Times-Union has reached out to a member of Taylor's family but hadn't heard back right away.
Katherine Lewin is the enterprise reporter at the Times-Union covering criminal and social justice issues in Northeast Florida. Email her at klewin@jacksonville.com or follow on Twitter @KatherineMLewin. Contact her for her Signal number to share anonymous tips and documents. Support local journalism!
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: State Attorney: No charges in Duval inmate death altercation guards
