By Atlanta Tribune
Colin Kaepernick is donating his resources to the family of LaShawn Thompson, a 35-year-old man who died after attorneys said he was “eaten alive by insects and bed bugs” inside his jail cell in Atlanta. Thompson was found dead in his cell at Fulton County Jail in September 2022. The 35-year-old man was covered in lesions from a “severe bed bug infestation,” according to records. His cell was so filthy that a jail staffer wore a hazmat suit upon entering, the Washington Post reported.
“When his body was found one of the detention officers refused to administer CPR because in her words she ‘freaked out,’” Michael Harper, the family’s lawyer, said last week.
Thompson’s initial autopsy came back as “undetermined.”
According to TMZ, Kaepernick has offered to fund a second, independent autopsy to help Thompson’s family find answers surrounding the circumstances of his death. Autopsies can cost up to $50,000, per TMZ.
The former NFL quarterback reportedly contacted attorney Ben Crump after seeing the alleged conditions of Thompson’s cell, which were displayed in graphic photos released to the public last week.
The photos also showed Thompson covered in pockmarked lesions and dead bugs stuck to his face.
“The cell he was in was not fit for a diseased animal. This is inexcusable and it’s deplorable,” Harper previously said.
The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office said it had launched an investigation and approved an extra $500,000 in funding “to address the infestation of bed bugs, lice and other vermin within Fulton County Jail.” Three jail officials have stepped down in the wake of the investigation, according to the sheriff’s office.
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