Who was Jorge Gonzalez Zuniga? Texas man died after being pepper-sprayed, tased as violent arrest broke his neck
The city of Texas went in shock when 23-year-old Jorge Gonzalez Zuniga died after his neck was broken during a violent arrest. Now, the man's family is suing the authorities in a wrongful death lawsuit.
Who was Jorge Gonzalez Zuniga?
Jorge Gonzalez Zuniga, a 23-year-old father and husband, was celebrating Easter at a BBQ with friends in Hidalgo County on April 11. At some point during the celebration, Zuniga fell asleep in his friend's yard. Police, who were patrolling the area, saw Zuniga, woke him up and told him to go home.
According to a Daily Mail report, he was pepper-sprayed, tased multiple times, pushed to the ground, had his neck crushed and was handcuffed and placed in ankle restraints during the arrest. After that, he got booked and a mugshot of him was taken, with officers holding up his head. Zuniga was found unresponsive in his cell and had a severe cervical fracture, a swollen spinal cord and was paralyzed. He died in the hospital in July and now his family is seeking justice.
"Mr Zuniga followed their commands and started to go home' but officers then decided to arrest him for public intoxication and disobeying Covid-19 social distancing guidelines, two minor, non-violent misdemeanors that were both later dismissed, according to the legal complaint filed by attorneys representing Mr Zuniga's bereaved mother, wife and baby son," the prosecution states. According to a statement from the Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office: "Mr Zuniga refused to cooperate and became physically agitated, verbally abusive, and strongly resisted efforts to be taken into custody." After the violent arrest, Zuniga was placed in the patrol car and transported to the Hidalgo County Adult Detention Center.
The lawsuit reads, "Mr Zuniga was left in his cell for over twenty-one hours without any medical attention." Finally, 21 hours after his booking, someone at the jail checked on him and he was found to be non-responsive. He was then taken to the McAllen Heart Hospital and then the McAllen Medical Center, where he was diagnosed with a severe cervical fracture, a swollen spinal cord and was a quadriplegic, according to the lawsuit.
On July 15, Jorge Zuniga died from chronic respiratory failure following a heart attack. Attorneys allege that his injuries and untimely death were due to the "absolute deliberate and unconscionable indifference of the deputies and the jail staff".
"Despite the obvious injuries, including a large swollen neck, cuts and contusions, the jail officials acted with deliberate indifference and at no time sent Mr Zuniga for medical evaluation or treatment. Instead, he was thrown into the 'drunk tank' and left alone," the legal complaint, filed by Thomas J Henry Law, a personal injury attorney in Austin, Texas, says.
His grieving wife Johana Zuniga said, "My husband and I were parents of a one-year-old baby. My husband didn't deserve to be treated in such an unfair way. We only ask for justice because of the pain that my family and I feel will not be taken away."