Inmate deaths at Shelby County Jail outnumber other Tennessee counties
While Shelby County has the highest number of deaths, when accounting for average population, Knox County has had proportionally more inmate deaths than Shelby County, according to the data provided. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)
While announcing the death of 22-year-old Sherman Weakley in February, Shelby County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Anthony Buckner called it “probably one of the saddest cases I’ve seen.”
Weakley, arrested in December on aggravated burglary charges, died Feb. 1 after being found unresponsive outside his jail cell. His autopsy attributed his death to suicide.
“Mr. Weakley’s mental health issues had nothing to do with the Shelby County Jail but more about perhaps the life he lived growing up in Memphis,” Buckner said during a Feb. 3 press conference.
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Aarron Fleming
Aarron Fleming covers Memphis and Shelby County’s court system and is a member of The Daily Memphian’s public safety reporting team. He formerly covered education and earned his B.A. in journalism from the University of Memphis.
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