Overview

• John Scott Jr., a 39-year-old Black man with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, died on April 22, a week after being tased multiple times during his arrest by Decatur police.
• Body-camera footage shows Scott refusing medical transport and resisting arrest before officers used a Taser and placed a spit-hood on him during the April 15 encounter.
• Scott was booked into Morgan County Jail, where he exhibited signs of medical distress over an hour later and was transported to two hospitals before succumbing to his injuries.
• The Morgan County Sheriff’s Office is leading the investigation, with assistance requested from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency and FBI; the coroner’s autopsy report is pending.
• Scott's family, represented by civil rights attorney Lee Merritt, plans to file a lawsuit within 30 days, citing excessive force and systemic failures in handling mental health crises.