A Brazos County jail inmate has died of coronavirus.
Sheriff Chris Kirk notified county commissioners Tuesday morning of the death and the hospitalization of a deputy and a second inmate.
Kirk told commissioners he is “very concerned” about the condition of those who are hospitalized, and asked for prayers for those families.
The sheriff’s office announced notifications of the family are ongoing, and no further information will be released until that has been completed.
The sheriff’s office also stated “As with all in custody deaths, the Texas Rangers will be conducting the investigation into the death.”
The inmate who died was also hospitalized.
Click below for comments from Chris Kirk during the August 11, 2020 Brazos County commission meeting:
Additional information from the Brazos County sheriff’s office:
On Tuesday August 11, 2020 at approximately 9:45 a.m., an inmate from the Brazos County Jail, a 49 year old male from Bryan, Texas, passed away while receiving treatment for COVID 19 at CHI St. Joseph’s Hospital. The patient was admitted to CHI St. Joseph’s Hospital on August 2nd and had been receiving treatment there since that date.
The patient was initially quarantined from the general population when he reported that he was not feeling well and was discovered to have fever. The patient was tested for COVID-19 and isolated after medical staff received a positive result on August 2nd. He was subsequently transferred to St. Joseph’s later the same day.
The Brazos County Jail has implemented precautionary measures to prevent the spread of COVID 19 that are in compliance with both Center for Disease Control and Local Health Authority guidance. Sheriff Kirk says “This is a tragic loss that we worked hard to prevent and hoped would not occur. Our sincere condolences go out to the family”
The Texas Jail Commission has been notified and a Custodial Death Report will be forwarded to the Texas Attorney General upon completion of an internal investigation conducted by the Brazos County Sheriff’s Office and the independent investigation conducted by the Texas Rangers.