Man dies in Myrtle Beach jail after police failed to get medical help for hours, suit says
Myrtle Beach and Horry County police departments, as well as several officers, are being accused of failing to seek medical care for a man who later died after being booked into the Myrtle Beach jail.
The federal lawsuit claims that officers and jail officials didn’t seek medical treatment for the 30-year-old man for five hours.
Brandon Campbell died after being taken from the Myrtle Beach Police Department jail to a nearby hospital, according to previous reporting. He died at the Grand Strand Regional Hospital.
The suit names Myrtle Beach Police Department, Horry County Sheriff’s Office, Horry County, City of Myrtle Beach, Myrtle Beach Jail, several jail personnel, and several Myrtle Beach Police officers and supervisors, including Officer Justin Falco, Zackary White and Police Chief Amy Prock.
The suit seeks a jury trial, alleging wrongful death and that the defendants violated Campbell’s rights under the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
Myrtle Beach Police spokesperson Capt. Bryan Murphy said by text that the city “does not comment on pending litigation.”
According to the suit filed by Theresa Campbell in U.S. District Court in South Carolina’s Florence division, officers with the Myrtle Beach Police Department found Campbell unconscious and unresponsive to verbal calls on Oct. 19, 2022.
However, rather than seeking or providing medical aid, the officers took Campbell to the Myrtle Beach Police Department jail. Officers at the jail knew that Campbell had consumed an amount of alcohol sufficient to cause a serious medical need, the suit said.
Jail employees noted in their files that Campbell presented a medical risk and required observation, but then disregarded the risk, placing Campbell into a holding cell with other inmates, the suit said. Campbell was found in the holding cell without a pulse after being denied medical care for over five hours.
Campbell had a blood alcohol level of 0.34% at the time of his death. The legal BAC limit in South Carolina is .08%.
Officers Falco and White found Campbell unconscious in the grass. After waking Campbell by using a sternum rub, which is meant to wake an unconscious person through infliction of sharp pain, Falco noted in his report that Campbell had “difficulty standing on his own” and that he “was not able to care for himself in his condition,” the suit said.
The suit also stated that MBPD has refused to provide body cam footage of Campbell’s arrest, which would show Campbell’s state when he was arrested.
Campbell told officers that he had consumed seven Steel Reserves, a malt liquor usually sold in 42-ounce containers and containing a high alcohol by volume, the suit said.
Because of Campbell’s intoxicated state, the department’s standard operating procedures require the officers to transport Campbell for medical attention before allowing him to be placed into the jail, the suit said. In addition, the procedures require written confirmation from a medical authority that Campbell was medically fit for placement at the jail and did not pose a danger to Campbell.
However, Officer Falco transported Campbell and did not seek medical treatment, the suit said.
Booking officers learned of Campbell’s intoxication and listed in their booking report for Campbell “jail alerts: medical alert, observation,” the suit said.
Officers and personnel at Myrtle Beach Police Department had knowledge that Campbell had a medical condition that was required to be communicated to other jail employees, and that made observation medically necessary, the suit said. However, they violated the procedures by not having any other medical professional examine Campbell.
The suit claims that jail personnel did not conduct regular observation of Campbell, which is every 30 minutes. The police department has refused to provide complete and unredacted copies of medical screen of Campbell, the suit said. However, a heavily redacted medical screen provided through public record requests show it is unsigned and was never reviewed by a nurse or other medical personnel.
This story was originally published December 5, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
