Mayor: Cairo inmate was trying to injure, not kill, himself

~ Paul Farris said he was looking for a way out of jail.

Demetrius Flowers accidentally killed himself in a Cairo, Ill., holding cell as he sought to inflict an injury serious enough to force police to take him to a hospital, Mayor Paul Farris said Wednesday.

Farris, speaking to the Associated Press, said Flowers was found sitting, having "leaned forward and depriving himself of oxygen." He had wrapped a shoelace around his neck and tied it to an object above him, Farris said.

"Did he intentionally try to bring harm to himself? Yes. Did he intend to die? No," Farris said. "But he's gone. I can't ask him. Nobody can ask him. I think he was looking for a medical way out, a trip to the hospital" to get out of the holding cell.

Farris could not be reached for comment by the Southeast Missourian. His comments came two days after he fired two police lieutenants and a dispatcher for failing to follow city policies for the oversight of prisoners.

On Tuesday, Illinois State Police spokesman Dale Poole told the Southeast Missourian that the agency, which has investigated the death, was finished with its inquiry and ready to send a report to Alexander County State's Attorney Jeff Farris.

Poole would not comment on the findings of the investigation.

State's Attorney Farris -- who is Mayor Paul Farris's cousin -- said Wednesday he has not received the report. Jeff Farris added he has not been briefed on the contents of the report.

"More than likely they will call to make an appointment to talk to me," he said.

And Jeff Farris is unsure where the mayor received his information. Paul Farris has said publicly he did not look at the body after arriving at the police station on the morning of Dec. 14 after Flowers was found dead.

"I don't know why the mayor would give that story," Jeff Farris said.

Flowers, 38, was discovered dead in a holding cell approximately five hours after he had been arrested on suspicion of battery and obstructing an officer.

Alexander County Coroner David Barkett said soon after examining Flowers' body that he would hold an inquest into the death. That inquest had not been scheduled as of Wednesday.

"An inquest will not be scheduled until all the reports are in and reviewed," said David McCoy, a deputy coroner.

Illinois state law requires a coroner to notify family members seven days in advance of an inquest. Alexander County Circuit Court Clerk Sharon McGinness said Wednesday she forwarded about 300 names of potential jurors for the inquest to Barkett seven to 10 days ago.

Members of the dead man's family have been pushing Cairo officials publicly for answers about his death but have been given no detailed account of his final hours. During a community meeting Jan. 21, Farris and city attorney Michael O'Shea spoke to family members but gave few details of the death.

O'Shea said at that time that the death was neither a homicide nor a suicide.

The issue of Flowers's death has created "unwarranted suspicion and doubt" by locals about the city and its police department, Paul Farris said. The suspicions, he added, pose a "serious threat of civil unrest."

Cairo has a racially charged past and the Flowers death, as well as confrontations between the city council and Farris, have resulted in a rising tension in the town.

Deborah Flowers Chairs, Demetrius Flowers' mother and Geneva Whitfield, a longtime friend, both said they did not believe Flowers would intentionally hurt himself.

Whitfield, 79, said Farris' scenario was wrong. Flowers "was killed and that's all there is to it."

Even if he was inebriated, Chairs said, Flowers wouldn't try to hurt himself. "Regardless of what condition he was in, I know he wouldn't do what they say he done."

Neither Barkett nor the state police have been contacting family members about the investigation, Chairs said.

"We haven't heard anything from the coroner" about an inquest, said Deborah Flowers Chairs, Demetrius Flowers' mother. "And this is the first we are hearing" that the state police investigation is over.

Poole and State's Attorney Jeff Farris both said they have not asked the coroner to wait on the inquest.

On Monday, Farris fired Lts. Gary Hankins and Timothy Brown, and dispatcher Don Beggs. Two other police employees, officer Terry Crowe and dispatcher Legina Meyers, have been returned to duty after admitting that they breached department policies for booking and watching over prisoners.

All five were suspended Dec. 19 after an internal investigation of their conduct.

Family members plan their third community meeting Saturday at the Holy City Church of God in Christ to discuss issues surrounding the case. At the most recent meeting, Cairo city attorney Michael O'Shea told a gathering of about 40 people that the death was neither a homicide nor a suicide. He declined to give any more details.

The state police investigation ended without the cooperation of Flowers' family. No family members were with him when he was arrested, Chair said, and none visited him in jail. No family members were informed of his death until his body had been sent for autopsy.

The family doesn't trust the state police, Chair said. "They wanted to question the family, but they couldn't bring the family any answers," she said.

Any materials in possession of the state police are available to Barkett for an inquest, Poole said. The evidence held by state troopers includes a videotape from the jail cell where Flowers was held prior to his death.

"If we are in possession of it, and if he needs it for the inquest he can request it," Poole said.