Video Released in Woman’s Fatal Fall from Police Car
Mental Health Crisis Turns to Tragedy
(GA) – On July 15, Brianna Grier was having a schizophrenic episode. Her parents had dealt with it before and called the police. The normal result would be that police officers would come with an ambulance and Brianna would be taken for care. On this day, no ambulance was called. Deputies with the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office tried to treat Brianna the same way they would a criminal.
Brianna fought back, insisting she hadn’t done anything. She demanded they give her a breathalyzer test to prove she was not drunk. Because she fought them taking her into custody, they arrested her for resisting arrest. Brianna told them she would hang herself if they took her to jail. Threats and force were used to wrestle Brianna into the back of the patrol vehicle.
The patrol vehicle traveled for less than a minute before stopping. The deputy driving the car got out and found Brianna on the side of the road. An ambulance was called. Brianna Grier died from her injuries six days later.
State Police Investigating
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is looking into the death of the 28-year-old mother of twins and has released some of the video from the body camera. So far, it appears negligence was the cause.
GBI investigators concluded Wednesday that “the rear passenger side door of the patrol car, near where Grier was sitting, was never closed,” according to a news release….
Deputies closed the rear driver’s side door and, according to the GBI statement, “The investigation shows that the deputy thought he closed the rear passenger side door.”In the video, an officer can be seen picking Grier up and placing her in the car through the driver’s side rear door.
“The deputies closed the rear driver’s side door. The investigation shows that the deputy thought he closed the rear passenger side door,” the report says. The police did not put her seatbelt on, the investigation revealed.