Family sues Horry County over man who committed suicide in Sheriff’s vehicle
The Horry County Sheriff’s Office did not provide enough supervision for the 28-year-old who committed suicide in the back of a transport van, his family alleges in a lawsuit.
The family of Abed Michael Naqshabandi filed the wrongful death lawsuit in Horry County this week against the county and the Sheriff’s Office.
Naqshabandi was booked into J. Reuben Long Detention Center in August 2019 on several misdemeanor charges. He had a mental illness and made suicidal comments while in custody, according to the lawsuit. He was placed on suicide precautions.
During one suicide attempt, Naqshabandi injured himself after jumping from the second floor of his housing unit, the filing alleges. He had injuries to his leg, feet and elbow in the fall.
After a third suicide attempt, jail staff tased and restrained Naqshabandi before taking him to Conway Medical Center for treatment, the suit states. Hospital staff diagnosed him with “suicidal ideations” and said he should be on suicide watch at the jail.
Doctors released him and two deputies drove Naqshabandi back to J. Reuben Long Detention Center. The van had video monitoring, the suit states.
During the trip, Naqshabandi crawled to the floorboard and wrapped a seatbelt around his neck, his family says.
When the van got to the jail, deputies found Naqshabandi unresponsive. Emergency personnel tried to revive him and his heart restarted, but he was later declared brain dead.
Naqshabandi died two days later. The cause of death was listed as asphyxia.
Naqshabandi’s family alleges the sheriff’s office should have known he was at risk to harm himself and it did not take steps to reduce the threat. The filing asks for an unspecified amount of money.
Horry County spokeswoman Kelly Moore said it’s county policy not to comment on ongoing litigation.
The suicide was one of several high-profile deaths of detainees in the Horry County Sheriff’s custody during the last two years. The families of two women who drown in the back of a transport van in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence in September 2018 sued the agency over their death.
Two deputies drove around a barricade and into floodwaters in the Nichols area. A deputy tried to free the women, but was unsuccessful. The officers waited on top of that van for rescue while the women drowned. Both deputies were criminally charged in connection to the drownings.
The victim’s families both filed federal lawsuits over the deaths.
This story was originally published April 15, 2020 at 3:56 PM.
