‘I was hoping he’d get some help … he (ended) up dying there.’
Stephanie, left, and Russell McDaniel look through pictures of their son, Rockez, who died while in custody of the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)
What brought Rockez McDaniel to 201 Poplar Ave. the day of his arrest began at his family’s Cordova home.
On July 20, he walked through the kitchen and into the backyard, where he was seated in what his father Russell McDaniel described as a “praying position.” He was wearing only underwear.
The 33-year-old Rockez had recently started obsessing over religion and exhibiting behavior concerning to his parents and siblings, with whom he lived.
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Memphis Police Department Shelby County Jail Rockez McDaniel Subscriber OnlyThank you for reading The Daily Memphian. Your support is critical.
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Aarron Fleming
Once an intern, he never left, joining the staff full-time in 2022 as an education reporter. He moved to public safety in 2023, where he covered some of the city’s biggest court cases, including the criminal trials for those charged in the deaths of Tyré Nichols and rapper Young Dolph. He also chronicled the Shelby County Jail and the deaths that have occurred at the facility.
He now provides suburban coverage, focusing on Desoto County and the surrounding municipalities.
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