SAN DIEGO COUNTY — On the last day of 2024, over a dozen community members gathered outside of the San Diego Central Jail to remember the individuals who lost their lives while in custody and to repeat their calls for change.
Many were there to demand accountability after yet another in-custody death that occurred days earlier on Dec. 28. Bobby Ray Patton, 46, who had been arrested on suspicion of smuggling drugs into jail, told staff he was having “flu-like symptoms” and then went into medical distress while in medical isolation.
Attendees said that while in-custody deaths are lower than in previous years — the Sheriff’s Office reports nine deaths compared to 13 last year — Patton’s death shows that more needs to be done to protect the individuals in jails and provide them with the care they need.
“They need medical care. They’re human beings, they have human rights. Why are they dying before they even go before the judge?” said Gina Burns, a member of Moms Against Torture and Saving Lives in Custody.
San Diego County has been under scrutiny in recent years for having one of the highest in-custody death rates in the state, with 19 deaths in 2022. That same year, a state audit found that officials had not adequately prevented or responded to deaths in custody.
The county Sheriff’s Office reported nine in-custody deaths in 2024, which they say is the lowest annual total in 12 years. However, many community members say the true number of deaths is ten, counting one individual who died this year after being beaten into a coma in his cell in late 2023.
“We had 10 in-custody deaths this year, and only nine are being counted by the county and the Sheriff’s Department,” said Yusef Miller, executive director of the North County Equity and Justice Coalition.
Eric Van Tine, whose family has reportedly filed a complaint against the county, was housed in a triple-bunked room with other mentally ill men in December 2023 when he was beaten unconscious by one of his cellmates, according to reporting by the Union-Tribune.
Van Tine suffered a traumatic brain injury and spent four months in a coma. After waking up, he could not feed or bathe himself or communicate properly. He later developed a severe lung infection and ended up on life support, and his family withdrew care in early November.
However, the Sheriff’s Office did not publicly report the attack or his death until being contacted by the media. As of this week, sheriff’s officials still are not currently counting Van Tine’s death in their annual total.
“Mr. Van Tine passed away while in Missouri. The Medical Examiner/Coroner of the affected county has not made a determination yet as to his cause of death,” spokesperson Kimberly King said. “Locally, the investigation into his death is still open. We are unable to comment publicly on the facts surrounding the case.”
Miller said the Sheriff’s Office still needs to be held accountable for Van Tine’s death.
“He was beaten into a coma, released on a compassionate release to the hospital and died later, which we believe is still under the Sheriff’s responsibility,” Miller said. “Mr. Van Tine’s life mattered.”
2024 deaths
Before Patton’s death, Alfredo Hernandez, 66, was transported to the hospital in mid-November after experiencing shortness of breath at George Bailey Detention Center, and died at the hospital on Nov. 26. Hernandez was extradited to San Diego earlier this year related to a local 1991 murder and was awaiting trial.
Chase Mitchell, 53, died in the hospital in July after being found in medical distress the day prior at the Vista Detention Facility. A month earlier, Richard Woodford, 42, died after being found unresponsive in the shower area at the Central Jail.
Other deaths in 2024 included 38-year-old Majid Almajid at George Bailey Detention Facility and three more men at the Central Jail — Llutoa Vitale VIII, Brandon Yates, and Eric Alexander Wolf.
Similarly to Van Tine, Yates was attacked by his cellmate Alvin Ruis, who tortured the 24-year-old to death in January. Testimony at Ruis’ preliminary hearing revealed that Yates repeatedly pressed the panic button inside the cell, but no one came.
The family of Abdul Aziz Kamara, who died just hours after being taken into custody in March, said they have been left without answers regarding the circumstances leading to the death of the 29-year-old.
After being arrested by North County Coastal Station officials in Cardiff on suspicion of being under the influence, Kamara was transported to the Vista jail and “began throwing himself against the interior of the patrol car, causing injury to his face,” and later began “kicking and flailing” against deputies when they called for paramedics to treat his injury.
He was then placed in a WRAP restraint device. Shortly afterward, he lost consciousness and stopped breathing. Kamara died that same night.
Jennifer Schmidt, whose father Gilbert Gil died in the Vista Detention Facility in 2022, said families shouldn’t have to go through what hers experienced. She said her father was left on the floor of the jail to die after deputies mistook his dementia for being under the influence.
“He’s been gone 1,061 days today, and still no answers,” Schmidt said. “I don’t think we should have to sue the county to get answers for our loved ones.”
Several attendees to the demonstration outside the Central Jail continue to have loved ones in custody and are concerned for their safety.
Cheryl Canson, who has two sons in sheriff’s custody, said many of the individuals dying in jails are suffering from mental illness, addiction and homelessness and need a more supportive environment.
“You can’t get well in a prison cell. There are so many injustices and so much neglect happening. The lack of mental health care is killing people, as we’re hearing. The deaths are preventable,” Kansen said.
In an early December message, Sheriff Kelly Martinez acknowledged that while deaths have dropped, there is still room for improvement.
“Until we ensure the dignity and safety of every person in our care every day, our mission is incomplete,” Martinez said.
She also highlighted recent safety improvements that had been made in county jails. These include the addition of overdose-reversal medicine Naloxone to all facilities, new screening protocols for those entering jails, medical evaluations of all detainees immediately upon intake, and more routine checks of the general population to prevent those with mental illness from being “left behind.”
