Rally for the veteran who died in DeKalb County
Dozens of people gathered around the family of Christon Collins, the Army veteran who died in custody at the DeKalb County Jail. His family says it took hours for guards to arrive after he collapsed.
DEKALB COUNTY, Georgia. – Dozens of people gathered around the family of Christon Collins outside the DeKalb County Jail on Saturday, demanding change, months after the Army veteran died in custody.
“I want to say again, ‘Thank you, thank you, thank you,’ to all of you,” said Collins’ mother, Jonia Milburn.
“We are here to demand change for Christon and make sure that what happened to Christon doesn’t happen to other people,” added David Jones, an organizer with the Atlanta Alliance Against Racist and Political Opression.
A video from the prison on the day Collins died (March 15) shows him stumbling and hitting his head. Only other inmates help him. The guards don’t arrive until three hours later.
Milburn also obtained documents showing that a security guard failed to render aid despite being certified in CPR.
“No one acknowledged the death of a veteran in DeKalb County Jail,” says his family
Christon Collins, a 27-year-old veteran from DeKalb County, died in his jail cell on March 13. His family claims staff showed no sense of urgency and says surveillance footage proves it.
Prison officials said a medical team was on site until paramedics arrived and took Collins to the hospital.
Collins has been in jail since early February. He was charged with obstruction of law enforcement and simple assault against police officers after he crossed I-85 and struck a patrol car with his shoulder, according to police.
“I pray that the right thing is done,” Milburn said.
Milburn said the Army veteran struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder after his service and she tried to help him.
“If these prisons are not able to get people out of prisons so they can get help themselves, whether it’s through house arrest or whatever, then there is no reason why people should die in prison,” Jones added.
Earlier this month, Collins’ family hired attorney Ben Crump, who said he was committed to uncovering more information and holding people accountable for Collins’ death.
