The death of a Pine Bluff man who was an inmate at the Jefferson County jail has led to investigations by his family’s lawyer, the sheriff’s office and the state medical examiner’s office amid suspicions he was beaten while behind bars.
Jackie McCoy, 57, died Jan. 2 at Jefferson Regional Medical Center. Jefferson County Sheriff Lafayette Woods Jr. disputed claims on social media by local activist Mark Cannon, known on Facebook as “Voice Fore Justice,” that McCoy was beaten to death inside the W.C. “Dub” Brassell Detention Center, but the sheriff has declined to reveal complete details surrounding McCoy’s death, citing an ongoing investigation.
During a live video on Facebook Wednesday night, Cannon showed photos of McCoy being intubated. McCoy’s daughter, Danielle Jackson, confirmed Cannon’s reports of “internal decapitation” — namely, the spine being detached from the brain, — a broken eye socket, broken nose, burns on his legs and fluid buildup, saying they came from a medical report she received.
“Just looking at his bruises and going through the medical reports, I would honestly figure that somebody put their hands on him, which is crazy because he was in a one-man cell,” Jackson said, adding she hasn’t received an official report pointing to that allegation. “All we can go by is the medical records of the orbital fracture, the broken nose, the spinal damage. That type of thing is not going to happen from a fall.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Woods released a statement categorically denying all allegations of misconduct by jail staff. Woods said the state medical examiner has conducted a comprehensive autopsy of McCoy’s body, which he added “refutes false claims by internet trolls.” Jefferson County Coroner Chad Kelley said it may take four to six months before a final autopsy is released.
“Various self-proclaimed community activists, including [Voice Fore Justice], and social media trolls have been spreading misinformation for personal gain, hoping to increase their following and monetize their social media presence,” Woods said. “Contrary to these allegations, I ordered McCoy’s return to Jefferson Regional Medical Center (JRMC) after his premature release, addressing serious health concerns. The malicious intent behind these posts aims to defame my character, jail staff, and exploit falsehoods for social media and political gains.”
According to Woods, the preliminary results revealed McCoy’s death resulted essentially from complications related to pre-existing health conditions.
“There is no indication of trauma from a beating or assault, as falsely claimed by social media sources,” Woods said.
Woods said McCoy was “received and accepted” into the jail July 16 from Pine Bluff police, accused of aggravated robbery. McCoy failed to post a $10,000 secure bond for his release, Woods added.
An arrest/disposition report from the sheriff’s office detailed McCoy was 5-feet-6 and 190 pounds and referred to a probable-cause affidavit. The affidavit detailed a man later identified as McCoy reportedly waved a knife and pointed it at a man who gave him a cigarette at a dry cleaner location on West 28th Avenue and then took off running from officers who tried to talk to him at West 26th Avenue and Hazel Street after receiving a call about him being on the parking lot at Rally’s. McCoy was reportedly stopped in front of a residence on South Maple Street.
“Officials attempted to speak with Mr. McCoy but could not understand anything he was trying to say,” according to the affidavit. “No statement was taken from him.”
The sheriff’s office released a 20-minute video from Dec. 24 of McCoy falling to the floor in a single cell about 8 minutes in. McCoy then appears to sit up near the door to his cell.
The video, according to Woods, illustrates McCoy was not in a healthy state at the time he fell, but Woods added he wasn’t hospitalized due to the fall.
“He had already been to the hospital once before,” Woods said. “When he expired, he had already been taken to the hospital before that. Among his medical issues, he was weak. When I say he wasn’t himself — keep in mind, he was very combative, loud, he was a guy who stayed in the pod by himself hanging upside down like a bat for hours on end. He was out of his mind.
“The entire time he was in jail, he was hanging upside down. That’s just what he had done.”
Woods added McCoy acted in a way that sheriff’s deputies were told not to bring him back to court, citing information from his staff.
Jailers sent McCoy back to the hospital Dec. 28, according to Sgt. Terry Wingard, who is assisting in the investigation into McCoy’s death. McCoy died five days later.
“Something else was going on with him that the actual jail staff recognized because he was not the same, combative, hanging upside-down, loud, obnoxious, feces-in-his-hands [guy] and [who was] writing on the wall,” Woods said. “He wasn’t doing any of that anymore. He was contained, quiet and not saying a whole lot.”
Hours into being sent back to the hospital, Woods added, his health declined further from when he was brought back to the jail, which Woods thinks was premature. McCoy was then placed on life support, according to Woods.
“It made no sense being brought back and released if he was that bad off,” Woods said. “At that point, that’s when I reached out to the judge and said, something needs to be done because we’re not a hospital, and we recognized that rather than him dying in a jail, knowing he could get that medical attention we couldn’t assist him with, we either needed to take him back to the hospital or [have him] released from our custody.”
Eleventh West Circuit First Division Judge Alex Guynn signed a court order releasing McCoy from jail custody on his own recognizance Jan. 2. Woods said McCoy died after the court order was signed and filed.
Jackson said she and the family were called to the hospital the Saturday (Dec. 30) after her father was checked in for the last time.
“I had been told he had just been sent home two days prior,” she said. “They had brought him to the hospital because he couldn’t walk. … They found him unresponsive in his cell and took him back to the hospital. It was supposed to be from a fall.”
Jail staff and courts “well noted” McCoy’s mental health issues, Woods pointed out. The sheriff added he ordered McCoy’s return to Jefferson Regional after what he called a “premature release” to address serious health concerns.
The sheriff’s office typically notifies the public if an inmate has died while still booked in the jail, but McCoy was released on his own recognizance before his death.
Woods said the filing of multiple lawsuits against Cannon, Pine Bluff activist Jihad Muhammad, and other unnamed individuals believed to spread false information, are imminent. Muhammad released a Facebook video about McCoy’s death Jan. 5, suggesting McCoy was beaten to death.
“These legal actions aim to restore truth, protect the reputation of law enforcement, and ensure accountability for those who exploit tragedy for personal gain,” Woods said.
“It is regrettable that false information is being disseminated to exploit a tragic event for personal gain. The jail staff has conducted themselves professionally, and the well-being of detainees is of utmost importance. We remain committed to transparency and accountability in all our actions,” he added.
Cannon posed a question of how he would gain financially by exploiting one’s death.
“I’m just advocating that the man needs justice because of what has transpired,” he said. “One loss of life is too many, if you know what I mean.”
Little Rock attorney Rickey Hicks said Thursday morning he would examine McCoy’s body at a Pine Bluff funeral home once he receives a call that it has arrived.
“I can’t give out a great deal of details right now because my team and I are still investigating that, but I strongly believe he was violently, physically assaulted while he was at the Jefferson County Detention Center and I do believe that was the cause of his death,” Hicks said. “We are continuing to investigate that just to make sure, and that’s one of the reasons I’m going down to the funeral home, to examine the body.
“When I do finish, I do intend to be filing a civil rights lawsuit against Jefferson County for this beating.”
Asked if that suit will be filed against anyone in particular, Hicks said the sheriff’s department and anyone else who may be at fault.
Woods said he urges the public to rely on accurate information and refrain from spreading what he calls “baseless allegations,” which he says only serve to hinder the pursuit of justice and compromise the reputation of law enforcement personnel.
Jackson, meanwhile, wants the public to know her father was more than someone who had run-ins with the law.
“I just want them to know he was somebody,” she said. “He wasn’t a nobody. His life was worth something.”