Stephen Burrell

Stephen Burrell was a 26-year-old resident of Clark County, Nevada. He was diagnosed with mental and emotionalimpairmentss including schizophrenia, according to a lawsuit filed by his family. On January 12, 2019, Burrell was arrested the obstructive use of a public sidewalk, a misdemeanor, and booked into the City of Las Vegas Detention Center. During his incarceration, Burrell was kept in an isolation unit. On February 2, he “stopped engaging in self-care and stopped eating his food.” In the coming weeks, his weight continued to drop. A month later, a doctor evaluated Burrell and submitted his orders for a medical release. The order came too late. On March 8, 2019 — 56 days into his incarceration — Burrell died of starvation. At his autopsy, Burrell weighed only 126 pounds, a steep drop from the 174 pounds he weighed at his arrest. On multiple occasions during Burrell’s incarceration, medical staff at the jail “rather than intervene medically, simply filled out a medical refusal form and went on with their day," according to the lawsuit.

Lawsuit filed; unsure of outcome; Marian Blue for Estate of Stephen Burrell, et al. v. City of Las Vegas, et al., Case No. 2:21-cv-00372-RFB-DJA in the United States District Court

• IN THE NEWS (Warning: Disturbing Contents)
  • Article One
  • Article Two
• READ LAWSUIT (Warning: Disturbing Contents)