Family of Texas man who died after altercation with jailers wants federal investigation

By KEN MILLER
Associated Press

The family of a Texas man who died after an altercation with jailers, including one who pinned his knee to the inmate’s back, has called for a federal investigation into the practices at the jail. Anthony Johnson Jr., who was 31 and a former Marine, died April 21 after the the altercation that officials said began when Johnson resisted jailers’ orders during a search for contraband. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner last week ruled the death a homicide due to asphyxia, or suffocation. The family’s attorney said Tuesday the death “was totally preventable.”