Jackson County Settles for $1.2M Over In-Custody Death

Marquis Wagner, a 21-year-old with mental health issues, died after being placed in a restraint chair; lawsuit alleges neglect and failure to provide medical evaluation.

• Jackson County, Missouri, has agreed to a $1.2 million settlement with the parents of Marquis Wagner, a 21-year-old man who died in custody after losing consciousness in a restraint chair.
• Wagner, who had a history of mental health issues, was arrested after shooting through the door of his apartment under the false assumption an intruder was outside.
• The lawsuit alleges Wagner was not given a mental health evaluation despite evidence of mental health distress and was left alone in a cell without food or water for eight hours.
• Wagner was subdued by jail staff, handcuffed, and put into a restraint chair where he expressed difficulty breathing. He was taken to a nurse's station, but no one examined him before he was taken back to a holding cell.
• The lawsuit named three jail guards and two companies that the county contracts with for health care. The settlement is only with Jackson County. The case involving the two companies is scheduled for trial in September.

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