MEMPHIS, Tenn. — State prosecutors released the grand jury indictment Thursday against nine Shelby County corrections deputies charged in the in-custody death of Shelby County Jail inmate Gershun Freeman in 2022.
Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner announced Wednesday nine Shelby County corrections deputies had been charged, but did not release their names.
While Bonner, who also pledged he'd pay legal fees for the nine deputies, did not identify them, public employee and jail records showed six Shelby County jailers were charged with various violent crimes leading to a death on October 5, 2022, the same day Freeman died inside 201 Poplar.
A day later, the release of the indictment confirms the identity of eight of the nine deputies; the only one still withheld is the deputy who has not yet turned themselves in to jail.
Here are the names and details surrounding those eight deputies:
Stevon Jones, Courtney Parham
- Charged with second-degree murder and aggravated assault in Gershun Freeman's death
- Both employed as a corrections deputy since at least 2019
- According to the indictment, Stevon Jones and Courtney Parham are responsible for actually killing Freeman and did so knowing they were killing him.
- Both Jones and Parham were found to have knowingly, intentionally caused bodily harm to Freeman which resulted in his death, the indictment said.
- Jones was also found to have "knowingly, intentionally or recklessly" caused bodily harm to Freeman
Ebonee Davis
- Charged with aggravated assault leading to the death of another in Freeman's death
- Employed as a corrections deputy since at least 2019
Chelsey Duckett
- Charged with aggravated assault leading to the death of another in Freeman's death
- Employed as a corrections deputy since at least 2019
Jeffrey Gibson
- Charged with aggravated assault leading to the death of another in Freeman's death
- Employed as a corrections deputy since at least 2019
Anthony Howell
- Charged with aggravated assault leading to the death of another in Freeman's death
- Employed as a corrections deputy since at least 2019
Lareko Elliott
- Charged with aggravated assault resulting in the death of another in Freeman's death.
Damian Cooper
- Charged with aggravated assault resulting in the death of another in Freeman's death.
A ninth deputy has not turned themselves in yet, and their identity has not been released. All nine are due in court on Oct. 27 for a bond hearing.
You can read the full indictment below:
Sheriff Bonner claimed the "early" release of "edited" video of the deadly altercation was a political move meant to derail his campaign for Memphis mayor.
Several of his political opponents for office, as well as Shelby County D.A. Steve Mulroy, weighed in on the press conference Wednesday.
A video of the altercation inside the jail showing Freeman being beaten and restrained by multiple correctional officers was released March 2.
The last minutes of the video show Gershun being restrained naked by multiple officers while handcuffed, lying face down on the jail floor. One officer is seen kneeling on his back for about four minutes until his body goes limp.
Brice Timmons and Jake Brown, attorneys for Gershun Freeman's family, commented Wednesday immediately after Bonner's press conference, alleging the Sheriff was in violation of state law by commenting on the indictments before they were officially un-sealed, which they said will happen Monday.
They blasted Bonner on a poor record in office as Sheriff, referencing 40 deaths in the Shelby County Jail during his tenure, which they claimed was more inmate deaths than New York's infamous Rikers Island prison during the same time frame.
“We’re standing in front of the Wall of Honor," Brown said. "Law enforcement should be a noble profession...Bonner has dishonored the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office.”
The family attorneys also claimed the deputies named in the indictments are still employed at the Shelby County Jail and that there are more officers responsible for Freeman's death but have not been indicted yet.
“The family was very relieved that some sort of justice was being brought," Sara McKinney, a part of the Freeman family's legal team told ABC24. "Certainly, those weren’t the only nine officers involved, but it was a huge win.”