The family of Terrill Thomas, a Black man who died of “profound dehydration” inside a Milwaukee jail run by Trump Supporter and former Sheriff David Clarke, will receive a $6.75 million settlement – one of the largest settlements in a jail death in the United States.
Thomas died in April 2016 in his cell six days after guards cut off his water supply.
Others who were incarcerated reported hearing him beg for water before his death, as the Huffington Post notes.
“The amount of pain and suffering that Terrill Thomas went through is really hard to comprehend, and a ton of this is captured on video,” James End, an attorney with First, Albrecht & Blondis who worked on the case, told HuffPost. “The amount of suffering that Mr. Thomas went through was just tremendous, and that I think would be recognized by any person who took any time to listen to the facts of this case.”
A lawsuit filed following the incident accused Clark of “knowingly” sanctioning the decision to cut off the water supply of those who were incarcerated.
“What happened to Terrill Thomas was a form of torture,” Erik Heipt, one of the attorneys representing Thomas’ estate added. “He was a mentally ill man who needed help. Instead, he was deprived of life-sustaining nourishment — water. This is the sort of atrocity that should never happen in an American jail. Ever. There’s no excuse for it.”