Missouri county to pay $1.2 million to settle lawsuit over inmate restraint chair death

By JIM SALTER
Associated Press

Missouri’s second-largest county will pay a $1.2 million settlement to the parents of a 21-year-old man with mental health concerns who allegedly screamed “I can’t breathe” as he was subdued by jail staff before dying in a restraint chair. The Jackson County Legislature in Kansas City on Monday approved the settlement in the 2021 death of Marquis Wagner. The lawsuit named three jail guards and two companies that the county contracts with for health care. The settlement is only with Jackson County. The lawsuit involving the two companies is scheduled for trial in September. Wagner was arrested in 2021. The lawsuit states that he died after being restrained and repeatedly stating that he was having difficulty breathing.