The death of Gerlado Lunas Campos, one of three men who died while detained at a Texas immigration detention facility since December, was ruled as a homicide in an autopsy report from El Paso County, ABC News reports.
Campos, 55, died from “asphyxia due to neck and torso compression” at Camp East Montana on January 3, according to Adam Gonzalez, the deputy medical examiner for El Paso County, in the autopsy report. Attorneys representing Campos’ family filed an emergency petition Tuesday (January 20) preventing individuals who witnessed the death fro being deported, which was granted by a federal judge, citing reports that guards choked and asphyxiated Campos prior to his death.
“The two witnesses appear to have unique knowledge and independent eyewitness testimony of the events at issue,” the petition states.
The attorneys told ABC News that they were attempting to get formal testimony from the two witnesses. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson claimed that Campos died after “experiencing medical distress” in a statement obtained by ABC News.
“Lunas became disruptive while in line for medication and refused to return to his assigned dorm,” the statement reads. “He was subsequently placed in segregation. While in segregation, staff observed him in distress and contacted on-site medical personnel for assistance.”
Campos was the second of three men to die while detained at Camp East Montana. Francisco Gaspar-Andres, 48, of Guatemala, was reported to have died of liver and kidney failure, while Victor Manuel Diaz, 36, of Nicaragua, was found dead on January 14.
Recent Comments