Fulton County, Georgia, jail leadership resigns after inmate's death and accusations of unsanitary conditions

UNITED STATES: Three officials at the Fulton County, Georgia, jail have stepped down amid an investigation into the death of an inmate whose family said was housed in a filthy, bug-infested cell that "was not fit for a diseased animal.".

The Fulton County Jail's chief jailer and two assistant chief jailers submitted their resignations at the request of Sheriff Patrick "Pat" Labat during an executive staff meeting over the weekend, a statement from the sheriff's office said without naming them.

"It's clear to me that it's time, past time, to clean house," Labat said in the Monday statement announcing "sweeping changes" at the facility.

The resignations come as the family of Lashawn Thompson demands a criminal investigation into his September 2022 death at the jail in Atlanta and for a new facility to be built.

Family says deplorable conditions and insect bites in Atlanta jail contributed to inmate's death

Thompson's family said his death was the result of unsanitary conditions at the jail and complications from insect bites. "The cell he was in was not fit for a diseased animal. This is inexcusable and it's deplorable," family attorney Michael Harper said at a news conference last week while holding photos that purportedly showed the conditions of Thompson's jail cell.

"The manner and cause of death was listed as 'undetermined' by the county medical examiner. A full investigation was launched into the circumstances surrounding Mr. Thompson's death," the Fulton County Sheriff's Office said in a statement Thursday.

Three officials at the Fulton County, Georgia, jail have stepped down amid an investigation into the death of an inmate whose family said was housed in a filthy, bug-infested cell that "was not fit for a diseased animal."