DAYTON — The family of the man who died while in custody at the Montgomery County Jail earlier this year wants the jail staff involved in events leading up to his death to be arrested and charged.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
Christian Black, 26, died days after being arrested and booked into jail in late March.
The Montgomery County Coroner determined Black’s cause of death was mechanical and positional asphyxia. The coroner ruled Black’s death a homicide.
Black’s family and their attorneys released videos from inside the jail during Black’s restraint and when he lost consciousness.
The jail video, which does not include audio, shows Black banging his head on a cell door and beating on the windows.
The family’s lawyers said he was in crisis. They admit correction officers needed to go in to protect him from himself.
The correction officers head in, they tase and pepper spray him, and they spend four to five minutes first handcuffing Black before placing him in a restraint chair.
TRENDING STORIES:
- Browns linebacker arrested on assault charges in Pennsylvania
- School district pays tribute to co-worker killed in I-75 weekend crash
- Student loan collections begin; what that means for borrowers
The officers place Black in the chair, but hold him down in that chair for two minutes and 17 seconds. The video shows he’s no longer talking or not responsive.
Attorneys for the family said they believe Black is dead in the next part of the video. It then shows what appears to be a jail medical employee occasionally lightly rubbing his chest.
That employee then appears to use a cuff to check his blood pressure, but Black sits in the seat for another five to six minutes.
Eight minutes and 24 seconds after Black’s unconscious body was placed upright in the chair, correction officers took hot back out of the chair and started CPR and other life-saving measures were used.
Black never regained consciousness. He was taken to a local hospital, where he died two days later, on March 26.
As reported on News Center 7 at 5:00, his family is shocked by what they saw.
Black’s father, Kenya Black, said there was “no sense of urgency” to save him.
“Just seeing him take his last breath, and he did not have to, it never should have happened,” Misty Black, Christian’s mother, said. “And for me, it’s every time I see that video, I’m going to have to see him take his last breath again.”
Black was arrested by Englewood Police after crashing a stolen car, jumping a fence, and trying to swim away from officers.
The sheriff’s office previously said he had repeated confrontations with corrections officers after being booked in the Montgomery County Jail.
The sheriff’s office announced last week that all 10 employees involved in Black’s restraint have been placed on paid administrative leave while the investigation continues.
Now, Black’s family says they want those employees to be arrested and charged with causing his death.
“We are asking that they be arrested, that they be indicted, and that they be convicted for the murder of Christian Black,” Michael Wright, attorney for Black’s family, said.
The attorneys said the officers knew better and should have done better.
“What additional evidence do we need to make a change over at this jail? This man was murdered right in front of our eyes,” Wright said.
News Center 7 reached out to Montgomery County Sheriff Rob Streck regarding the new statements from the family, including their request for body camera video. He released the following statement:
I’ve been asked to respond to today’s press conference held by the attorneys representing Christian Black’s family. As previously stated, I met with Christian’s family last week and provided them with a flash drive containing all available video footage of his time at the jail, including two use-of-force incidents. While I did not attend the press conference, I understand the attorneys indicated they were still waiting for body-worn camera footage. That footage was included on the original flash drive provided to the family. However, given the large volume of content, it may have been difficult to locate. To ensure clarity, we created a separate copy containing just the body-worn camera videos and provided it directly to the attorneys.
Throughout this tragic situation, I have made every effort to be transparent with Christian’s family and the citizens of Montgomery County, while also ensuring that nothing I do interferes with the independent investigation I requested. As that investigation moves forward, I will refrain from offering any public commentary to avoid jeopardizing the integrity of the process.
— Rob Streck, Montgomery County Sheriff
[SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2025 Cox Media Group
