Judge Dismisses Wrongful Death Suit Against Chatham County Sheriff b/c Cops had No Choice but to Hogtie, Tase & Beat Mathew Ajibade to Death

From [HERE] A federal judge has dismissed wrongful death claims against a Georgia sheriff sued by the family of a man who died in jail after deputies strapped him into a chair and shocked him four times with a stun gun.

Mathew Ajibade (ah-ji-BAH-dee) died at the Chatham County jail in Savannah following a bloody brawl with deputies who were trying to book him on a domestic violence charge in January 2015. Ajibade's family filed a civil suit in U.S. District Court against the sheriff, several deputies and the jail's medical contractor.

U.S. District Court Judge R. Stan Baker ruled March 28 there was no evidence to fault Sheriff John Wilcher with rights violations in Ajibade's death. He also dismissed civil claims against two jailers.

The lawsuit was filed by Ajibade's family against Sheriff Wilcher, several deputies and a nurse contractor.

An autopsy found no single cause for why he died, but a Georgia Bureau of Investigation medical examiner told jurors during the criminal trial that Ajibade was "stressed to death."

WJCL reached out to attorneys on both sides and the Ajibade family. We have not yet heard back.

We also reached out to the sheriff, who said he has no comment.

The court says all parties have until April 26 to provide a status report of the case or drop it. Civil claims against others are still pending.

Since 2015, the Chatham County jail has made improvements by adding new buildings and staff members. This year, the jail was the first in the country to be accredited for mental health services.

While the judge wrote that Ajibade's death was a tragedy for the young man's family, he also said that Wilcher should not face liability. He sais Wilcher would have had to "personally deprive Ajibade of his constitutional rights or to have established a policy that allowed other officers to do so.  The judge also said that Wilcher had not had direct contact with Ajibade and as a result, granted a summary judgment which removes Wilcher from being named as a defendant in the lawsuit.