Lawsuit filed following death of Delaware inmate

A lawsuit has officially been filed against the Delaware Department of Corrections, after the death of inmate, Ronald Shoup.

The lawsuit claims Correctional Officers at Sussex Correctional Institution repeatedly used physical force to subdue and restrain Shoup, until the resulting blunt force injuries killed him in February of 2014. Shoup was being held at the SCI on a series of traffic violations, because he couldn’t post bail. We’re told he had a history with alcohol, and was suffering from withdrawal and hallucinations; because of that, he was moved to the infirmary.

The lawsuit claims on the night before Shoup died, the medical staff asked DOC security staff four times, to help administer emergency medications after he apparently could not cooperate because of his condition, which they did. Several hours later, Shoup was dead.

This lawsuit was expected, after the autopsy came out, ruling Shoup’s death a homicide. However, no criminal charges were filed in this case. According to the DOJ, it’s not just a matter of who or what caused the death, but whether or not a criminal act took place. They say they could not prove that one did, therefore they chose not to move forward with charges.

The lawsuit is seeking unspecified damages.