AMITE COUNTY, Miss. (WLBT) – The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is looking into the death of an inmate at the Amite County Jail.
On October 4th, 41-year-old Trumaine White, who was a truck driver, died at the jail.
Nearly a month later, unanswered questions and concerns still surround his death.
“Right now, as we look into this, we are considering whether this is racially motivated, we are considering whether this was excessively violent,” said Bobby DiCello, who’s representing White’s family.
Though things are still in the early stages of the investigation so far, DiCello lays out a timeline of events of what he believed happened.
On October 3rd or 4th, the attorney said White went into a tire shop in Liberty to buy a tire.
As he was leaving, the 41-year-old threw something out of his window.
An employee at the tire shop called the police, accusing White of throwing out a clear white baggy with a white powdery substance inside it.
However, White refuted that claim, saying it was a paper towel that he threw out the window.
White then went to eat at a local restaurant.
Not long after, law enforcement officers came inside and arrested White, and took him to jail.
He later died at the Amite County Jail.
DiCello said he wants to know what happened to White after he was taken into custody.
“How does such a minor moment end in death,” said DiCello. “What we see right now suggests that the officer’s conduct directly contribute to his death, directly.”
Dicello said many unanswered questions remain that he wants answered.
Questions such as:
- Which agency arrested White?
- What charge(s) was he given?
- How many hours did White spend in jail before his death?
- Was excessive force used?
- What was the exact cause of death?
“He was arrested, he expressed that he didn’t want to be arrested, we know that, and we know that the officers forcibly took him into jail,” said Dicello. “Now how much force is used, who uses that force and when are all a part of the facts that we are developing in our investigation right now.”
WLBT reached out to the Liberty Police Department asking about White’s arrest and death.
They told us to call the Amite County Sheriff’s Department.
After calling that department, they told WLBT MBI is now taking over the case and they have no further comment.
“I’m puzzled by how it is that police got involved in this kind of scenario,” said DiCello. “It seems like such a minor issue and to have such a horrendous outcome obviously creates a lot of questions.”
MBI has now taken over this case.“Agents are continuing to investigate and gather evidence and information. This remains an open and ongoing investigation,” a spokesperson tells us.
The Amite County Coroner tells WLBT an autopsy report is still behind, and the exact cause of White’s death is still unknown.
WLBT will continue to follow this developing story and bring you more information as it becomes available.
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