“We are conducting our own independent investigation into how Mr. Black died and who may ultimately be responsible,” said attorneys Michael Wright and Robert Gresham, representing his family. “Mr. Black’s family is deeply concerned given the well-documented issues that have plagued the Montgomery County Jail previously.”
Black was arrested by the Englewood Police Department early Sunday morning after crashing a car that was allegedly stolen in connection to a robbery in Beavercreek, police reported.
Come Monday morning, he was found unresponsive in his jail cell — when jail staff opened the cell door to check on him, he reportedly jumped up and attempted to flee the cell.
After a fight with jail staff, where they used a Taser to subdue him, he was treated by medical staff and put into a cell by himself for monitoring, according to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office. Hours later, he began “forcefully and repeatedly striking his head on his cell door,” a sheriff’s office release says.
Another fight ensued, with jail staff using a Taser and pepper spray this time, the release says. The sheriff’s office says Black was handcuffed and put into a restraint chair, and while waiting on Dayton medics to transport him to the hospital after treatment by medical staff, Black went into “full arrest.”
Black was declared dead two days later at an area hospital.
“We will leave no stone unturned in our quest to find out what led to Christian Black’s death,” Wright and Gresham said.
The Montgomery County Jail Coalition in a statement to the Dayton Daily News said they also have questions about the 25-year-old man’s death.
The jail coalition is a group of Dayton-area residents who are concerned for inmates the county jail.
“From our perspective, the facts we have don’t add up,” the jail coalition shared. “He came into the jail healthy and was in critical condition within 24 hours. He was being held pre-trial. He had no pre-existing conditions, no history of violence. We are working with the family to identify next steps.”
The sheriff’s office said that they asked Dayton police detectives to investigate the incident since Black died following fights with jail staff.
The sheriff’s office also notified the Ohio Bureau of Adult Detention, and the sheriff’s office’s Inspectional Service Unit will review the incident internally after the Dayton investigation.
The Montgomery County Coroner’s Office is investigating as well to determine the cause of Black’s death.
Jail deaths
A Dayton Daily News analysis of state data in 2023 showed more people died after coming into custody at the Montgomery County jail that year than any other jail in Ohio.
Earlier this month, the family of 19-year-old Isaiah Trammell, who died while in custody at the Montgomery County Jail in 2023, sued Montgomery County, jail medical care provider Naphcare and several jail corrections and medical workers for wrongful death, saying Trammell was denied necessary medical treatment.
Seven Montgomery County inmate deaths were reported in 2023 from January through July, and in December 2023, a man died after being transferred from the jail to the hospital.
