Memphis lawyer: Shelby Co. Sheriff Bonner refused to talk jail conditions with attorneys

Attorneys for the family of a Shelby County Jail inmate who was fatally stabbed in a holding area outside a Shelby County Criminal Courtroom a week ago said they would be open to speaking with Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner about the jail's condition, but that he has refused to have those conversations.

Attorney Brice Timmons said Bonner had previously refused to speak with him and others, a claim he reiterated Friday morning at a press conference that featured the family of Deion Byrd alongside notable civil rights attorney Ben Crump. Crump had been retained by Byrd's family, his law practice said on Thursday afternoon.

"I guess what I'd say about meeting with the sheriff is really simple," Timmons said from the stage at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church Friday. "He doesn't want to do it. He won't do it. He does not care. He does not want to improve the quality of his work. He doesn't want to make the jail safer. He doesn't care because, and I'll say it again, he is a coward. I want to thank Attorney Crump for coming here yet again, even though I'm tired of seeing him in this manner."

Crump now represents five Memphis families, including Byrd's, and is currently engaged in two lawsuits against the Memphis Police Department and Shelby County Sheriff's Office, which runs the jail. Friday morning, he did not say whether a lawsuit would be coming following Byrd's death but expressed his disbelief of the situation.

"I heard the judge in the interview, Judge [Paula] Skahan, say this is the most unbelievable thing she's ever witnessed in a courthouse, and I agree with her," Crump said. "I'm paraphrasing her because that's something you see in Hollywood movies. You don't see that in real life. That's not supposed to happen in Shelby County."

Friday's press conference also gave Byrd's parents, Laquita and Marcus Byrd, the opportunity to speak about their son and express frustration at SCSO not reaching out to extend condolences to the family after he was killed in their custody.

"He was my baby boy, and he wasn't perfect. He made bad decisions," Laquita Byrd said Friday. "I just can't understand how he was in the safest place — in the custody of the Shelby County Sheriff — and he was killed. And they say the person that killed him chased him down. He chased him down to kill him. He chased him down to kill him. Now I'm never going to hear my baby call and say, 'I love you, mom."

The Shelby County Sheriff's Office did not respond to a request for comment about Laquita and Marcus Byrd saying they have not had contact with SCSO. They also did not respond to Timmons saying Bonner refused to speak with attorneys about the jail conditions.

Timmons and Crump also said they would like the Department of Justice to intervene at the jail, with Crump saying Byrd's death was the result of "gross negligence." The DOJ is currently investigating the Memphis Police Department in a pattern-or-practice investigation, which is the most thorough look the federal government can get at a law enforcement agency's policies and practices.

SCSO, which oversees the jail, launched an internal investigation into the stabbing Monday, saying it was looking at "internal failures" with security. SCSO brass is also evaluating practices and training improvements.

"The sheriff's office is reviewing this tragic event and would like to extend our thoughts and prayers to the family of Mr. Byrd," SCSO said in a press release Monday. "The Bureau of Professional Standards and Integrity is focusing on internal failures that led to this unfortunate incident, while the command staff is reviewing changes, improvements and training that we hope will prevent such an occurrence in the future."

What happened to Deion Byrd inside 201 Poplar?

Both Clay and Byrd, along with a number of additional inmates, were brought up to the courtrooms together. Due to the elevator to the Division 1 courtroom being broken on Oct. 26, the group of men were handcuffed to one another and walked from the Division 4 courtroom, which had a working elevator, to Division 1, passing through a public hallway that had attorneys and other civilians milling about.

Shortly after being brought to the holding area, which is a room attached to the courtroom by a door, a reporter with The Commercial Appeal heard yelling. Bailiffs rushed into the holding area and eventually brought Byrd out.

Byrd walked out of the courtroom, holding the side of his neck with his hand. He died about two hours later.

Clay was charged with first-degree murder in the stabbing Friday, with an affidavit saying Byrd had walked up to him and accused him of breaking into his home. When Clay denied it, the affidavit said Byrd spit on him. Clay then said "I'm gonna kill you now," and then began chasing Byrd with the makeshift knife that the affidavit said was stored in the waistband of his jail jumpsuit.

Minutes after Byrd was escorted out of the courtroom, Clay was taken out by deputies. As he was brought out, he was yelling at the deputies, and to the people in the courtroom.

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Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Paula Skahan, who presides over the Division 1 courtroom, said she had never seen or heard of someone getting stabbed in a courtroom setting before Thursday.

"I can't understand how the inmate had a shank and was able to bring it up into a courtroom-type setting," Skahan said. "Beyond frightening. My heart goes out to the victim's family and friends. The perpetrator could have stabbed anyone in the courtroom if he was brought in there today."

Byrd was arrested during a multi-agency operation targeting smash-and-grab burglaries called "Operation Broken Bottles." He was charged with multiple counts of theft and burglary, along with a first-degree murder charge connected to an alleged car crash that happened after he and a co-defendant were said to have been driving away from a crime scene.

Lucas Finton is a criminal justice reporter with The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at Lucas.Finton@commercialappeal.com and followed on Twitter @LucasFinton.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Shelby County Sheriff's Office not speaking to Byrd family