Alabama
Alabama paying $250,000 to mother of man fatally beaten in prison but admits no wrongdoing
The Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) has settled a wrongful death lawsuit against corrections officers who beat a man to death at the William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility in 2019, though the department continues to deny that the officers used excessive force.
A settlement payment of $250,000 was issued on Aug. 16 in the case of Sondra Ray v. Roderick Gadson, et al., according to data from Alabama’s Department of Finance.
Before reaching the settlement, the state paid 11 different attorneys or firms a total of $393,000 to defend the corrections officers named in the lawsuit, the records show.
More from Alabama Reflector
Ray filed the lawsuit in 2020 after the October 2019 death of her son, Steven Davis.
The day before he was removed from life support, Davis, 35, was rushed to UAB Hospital with critical injuries after an incident involving multiple officers inside a “behavior modification unit” or “hot bay” at Donaldson prison. A medical examiner classified Davis’ death as a homicide, caused by “blunt force injuries of head sustained during an assault.”
Ray, reached by phone, had no comment on the lawsuit or settlement agreement, but said nothing will ever heal the grief she experienced in losing her son five years ago.
“It never leaves you,” she said. “If they hadn’t killed him, I wonder if he’d be here right now helping me. I wonder if he’d have kids. What they took from me will never go away.”
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall declined to press criminal charges against the officers involved, and the department’s internal investigation determined the officers’ use of force against Davis was justified.
The criminal investigation began in the Bessemer district attorney’s office, but in 2020, Bessemer DA Lynneice Washington recused her office when she learned one of the officers involved in Davis’ death was related to an assistant prosecutor in Bessemer. At that point, the criminal investigation was transferred to the attorney general’s office.
Hank Sherrod, an attorney representing Ray, said in a statement that “ADOC and the criminal justice system failed to hold anyone accountable.”
“Sandy would trade every dollar to have her son back or to see the officers who murdered her son go to prison, but she is glad to close this chapter in her life,” the statement said.
Four officers were named in the lawsuit. Two of them were still working for ADOC as of this month, according to payment records available in the Open Alabama checkbook database maintained by the Department of Finance.
ADOC confirmed that the two officers were still employed by the department but did not respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit settlement.
From the beginning, ADOC framed the incident that led to Davis’ death as one in which officers felt threatened by Davis — an account disputed by Ray and some witnesses. She described her son as a follower, not an instigator.
“Stevie was in a confined area,” she said in 2019, shortly after his death. “He wouldn’t create an altercation. He didn’t want to die. He was coming home to take care of me.”
A statement ADOC released two days after Davis’ death said Davis rushed out of his cell brandishing a prison-made weapon in each hand, and refused to comply with officers’ demands to drop his weapons.
“At that time, correctional officers applied physical measures to diffuse the threat in order to remove the weapons from the scene and secure the inmate,” the statement concluded.
But the civil complaint filed by Ray stated that officers “brutally beat Davis, ultimately killing him,” and therefore subjected him to excessive force, violating his constitutional rights. The complaint disputed the account by ADOC, saying Davis dropped the weapons and submitted to officers, but they still beat him, striking him in the head with batons and stomping on his head.
“The blows to Davis’ head are considered deadly force and would have been excessive even if Davis was resisting the officers,” the complaint argued.
The U.S. Department of Justice released a report in July 2020 concluding that officers within ADOC frequently use excessive force on men housed throughout Alabama prisons, giving rise to systemically unconstitutional conditions.
While not naming Davis, the report described his death. It stated that he had initially rushed toward another prisoner, not officers, and that an officer sprayed him with a chemical agent and struck him on the arm, causing him to drop a weapon.
“A second correctional officer responded to the scene and administered palm-heel strikes to the prisoner’s head as well as knee-to-head strikes as he tried to disarm the prisoner,” the report stated. “The prisoner eventually went to the ground face down and officers reported that the prisoner concealed a knife between his upper torso and the floor. Numerous prisoner-witnesses, however, reported that correctional officers continued to strike the prisoner after he dropped any weapons and posed no threat.”
Davis was in prison on a probation violation related to drug possession. In 2009, he pleaded guilty in a fatal robbery in which he drove a vehicle involved in the incident. He was killed several days after ADOC transferred him to Donaldson Prison in Bessemer from Bibb Correctional Facility in Brent, a town in Bibb County.
After her son was killed, Ray spoke to lawmakers about her family’s experience, telling them she had to have a closed casket at his funeral because of the severity of his head and facial injuries. She continued to speak publicly about the lack of transparency by ADOC, generating national media coverage of the incident in the year following Davis’ death.
Legal spending by ADOC spiked in recent years as the embattled department faces hundreds of lawsuits filed by prisoners and their families over excessive force, wrongful death, failure to protect from violence and medical neglect.
The U.S. Department of Justice sued the state in 2020, saying “the state failed or refused to correct the unconstitutional conditions in Alabama’s prisons for men.”
Two class action lawsuits against ADOC are now in their 10th year of litigation: one over the lack of mental health care across the system and the other addressing violence inside St. Clair Correctional Facility.
BALDWIN COUNTY, Ala. (WALA) – A two-vehicle crash on Alabama 59 near Baldwin County 34 has closed down the road, according to law enforcement.
Authorities said the crash occurred at 8:23 pm.
Law enforcement is on scene investigating and there is no timetable on when it will be reopened.
Copyright 2024 WALA. All rights reserved.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Nate Oats started his postgame press conference explaining why Alabama would have a much better winter break after its 81-54 win over Kent State. According to Oats, a happy holiday hinged on the Tide’s defensive performance against the Golden Flashes.
“Much better defensive effort so it’ll be a lot better Christmas break for us,” Oats said with a smile at the podium. “We did make a big point of emphasis on defense, especially after that debacle up in North Dakota with [Fighting Hawks guard Treysen Eaglestaff].”
It was far from a perfect offensive display for the Tide against Kent State. Alabama’s lingering turnover issues reared its ugly head for a second straight and the Tide continued shooting poorly from 3-point range.
However, after defensive letdowns nearly sprang an upset in Grand Forks, North Dakota, Alabama got back to the basics over the next few days at practice. The team worked on defensive fundamentals rather than solely focusing on film study.
That extra emphasis paid off as Alabama equaled its lowest points allowed in a game this season with 54. Tide forward Grant Nelson swatted a shot attempt by Kent State’s leading scorer VonCameron Davis in the opening few minutes, which helped set the tone the rest of the way.
“I think that [block] and just really everyone loading in the gaps, helping each other out,” Nelson said of Alabama’s defensive performance. “I thought that was huge. I think we kept them to six points in the first three media timeouts, that was huge for us. We emphasized that like I said and just a lot of credit to our guys for carrying it over on the court.”
While Alabama didn’t shoot the ball well, it made sure Kent State’s shooting was even more ineffective. Alabama communicated well on switches and contested shots from beyond the arc. It honed in on Davis, who averages 14.9 points per game but was limited to under 10 points for just the second time this season. Davis scored nine on an inefficient 4 of 15 from the field and had a minus-31 box plus-minus rating.
Coming into the game, Oats also felt like Kent State guard Jalen Sullinger (9.7 points per game) could be a dangerous weapon against Alabama’s defense with the potential to do the same thing Eaglestaff did for North Dakota. The Fighting Hawks guard scored a career-high 40 points, single-handedly pulling them back into the game late.
After missing the mark severely on guarding Eaglestaff, the Tide understood the assignment when it came to Sullinger and locked down the Kent State senior.
“He ended up shooting 1 of 14 and didn’t score in the second half,” Oats said. “So I think we did a little bit of a better job being locked in to a perimeter guy. We held them to a pretty good field goal percentage, they only shot 28%. Traditionally, this has been one of the hardest playing teams — I was in the MAC for six years and they get all of the O Boards. We gave up too many second-chance points but I thought for the most part our first-shot defense was good.”
Alabama continued to play effective post-defense in spite of the offensive rebounds. The Tide finished with six blocks as a team. Center Clifford Omoruyi won the Hard Hat Award for the most blue collar points and grabbed 12 rebounds while Nelson had 14. Off the bench, Derrion Reid had a pair of steals while Mouhamed Dioubate chipped in with two blocks.
Following the win, Alabama jumped from No. 57 to No. 42 in adjusted defensive efficiency, according to KenPom.com. As the Tide looks to build on its defensive momentum, better play on offense will have to follow. Alabama’s defense is much improved from last season when it was at its best, but it won’t be able to win games on defense alone when league play tips off on Jan. 4.
“We struggled a little offensively, and we’re gonna have to figure some stuff out here before SEC play,” Oats said. “The turnovers have been really just way too many — 13 in the first half. We did the same thing two games in a row. We only had one the second half against North Dakota. We ended up with six in the second half here. So we’ve got to do a better job at turnovers. I don’t have an answer for the free throw problems, but the only way to fix that is get in the gym and work. The good thing for us is we don’t have any school for a few weeks here, so after they get back from Christmas break, we’ll be in the gym and putting some time in.”
Alabama will conclude non-conference play against Summit League side South Dakota State. The Tide and Jackrabbits will tip off at 2 p.m. CT Dec. 29 inside Coleman Coliseum. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network+.
Very cold temperatures greeted Alabamians on Sunday morning.
The National Weather Service said temperatures overnight bottomed out in the low 20s in parts of the state and even were at the freezing mark in south Alabama.
Here were the lowest temperatures between midnight and 6 a.m. Sunday from around Alabama from the National Weather Service:
* Alexander City: 30 degrees
* Anniston: 23 degrees
* Auburn: 28 degrees
* Birmingham: 24 degrees
* Decatur: 25 degrees
* Demopolis: 25 degrees
* Dothan: 30 degrees
* Evergreen: 28 degrees
* Eufaula: 28 degrees
* Gadsden: 21 degrees
* Haleyville: 22 degrees
* Huntsville: 26 degrees
* Mobile: 31 degrees
* Montgomery: 25 degrees
* Muscle Shoals: 24 degrees
* Ozark: 29 degrees
* Prattville: 25 degrees
* Sylacauga: 24 degrees
* Talladega: 22 degrees
* Troy: 26 degrees
* Tuscaloosa: 25 degrees
Temperatures today will be a few degrees higher than on Saturday. Highs will range from the low to mid-40s in south Alabama to the 50s in central Alabama, to the mid-50s in south Alabama (today’s forecast is at the top of this post).
Tonight will be chilly again, but not as cold as last night. Here are the forecast low temperatures from Sunday night into Monday morning:
Tonight’s low temperatures won’t be quite as cold as last night.NWS
Gradual warming is expected to continue this week, with the next chances for rain arriving on Wednesday, Christmas Day. The weather service isn’t expecting a lot of rain, and no severe weather is anticipated.
High temperatures on Christmas Day will be warmer, with 60s expected across a wide area and possibly some 70s near the coast. Here are the expected Christmas Day temperatures:
It will be warmer across much of Alabama on Christmas Day. Above is the forecast for Wednesday.NWS
The warming trend looks to hold past Christmas. Here is the six- to 10-day temperature outlook, and it shows a high probability of above-average temperatures for Alabama through the end of December:
Alabama has a high probability of experiencing above-average temperatures from Dec. 27- Dec. 31.Climate Prediction Center
Mandel’s Final Thoughts: Don’t blame Playoff committee for first round getting out of hand
Always on the move, Rickey Henderson leaves legacy as one of baseball’s greatest showmen
'May love rest gently in your broken heart': What to say to a grieving friend
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25535557/STK160_X_TWITTER__D.jpg "X raises Premium Plus subscription pricing by almost 40 percent")
X raises Premium Plus subscription pricing by almost 40 percent
US military conducts successful airstrikes on Houthi rebel forces in Yemen
Colorado Rockies game no. 116 thread: Zac Gallen vs José Ureña
Why Marjorie Taylor Greene was ‘kicked out’ of the Freedom Caucus according to Rep. Buck
See it: Tesla crashes into Columbus convention center at 70 mph
Fox News Politics: Georgia the whole day through
Death of missing Oregon girl found in stream ruled homicide
Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen hospitalized after he was bucked off a horse
Fact check: How deadly was 2024 for journalists?
Why Trump's tariffs on Mexico would mean higher avocado prices at the grocery store
Trump names several new White House picks to work on AI, crypto and more: 'America First Patriots'
Small plane crashes into Brazil town popular with tourists, killing 10
-
Politics1 week agoCanadian premier threatens to cut off energy imports to US if Trump imposes tariff on country
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25789444/1258459915.jpg "OpenAI cofounder Ilya Sutskever says the way AI is built is about to change")
Technology1 week agoOpenAI cofounder Ilya Sutskever says the way AI is built is about to change
-
Politics1 week agoU.S. Supreme Court will decide if oil industry may sue to block California's zero-emissions goal
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25546252/STK169_Mark_Zuckerburg_CVIRGINIA_D.jpg "Meta asks the US government to block OpenAI’s switch to a for-profit")
Technology1 week agoMeta asks the US government to block OpenAI’s switch to a for-profit
-
Business1 week agoFreddie Freeman's World Series walk-off grand slam baseball sells at auction for $1.56 million
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23951353/STK043_VRG_Illo_N_Barclay_3_Meta.jpg "Meta’s Instagram boss: who posted something matters more in the AI age")
Technology1 week agoMeta’s Instagram boss: who posted something matters more in the AI age
-
News1 week agoEast’s wintry mix could make travel dicey. And yes, that was a tornado in Calif.
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24924653/236780_Google_AntiTrust_Trial_Custom_Art_CVirginia__0003_1.png "Google’s counteroffer to the government trying to break it up is unbundling Android apps")
Technology2 days agoGoogle’s counteroffer to the government trying to break it up is unbundling Android apps