A Georgia man says medical negligence at the Fulton County Jail led to amputations
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A Georgia man said Wednesday that he was traumatized after being severely neglected in an Atlanta jail that was plagued by allegations of unsanitary conditions, resulting in the amputation of his fingers and lower legs.
Rashaad Muhammad was arrested in August and booked into the Fulton County Jail, where medical staff failed to give him the antibiotics and other medical supplies they repeatedly told him he needed, according to his attorneys.
Not even two weeks later, his condition worsened and he could no longer stand.
“I’m not good. Every day is a battle. It’s a struggle,” said Muhammad, who now uses a wheelchair, during a press conference outside the jail after a meeting with Sheriff Pat Labat.
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Rashaad Muhammad, flanked by his attorney Ben Crump and other members of his legal team and supporters, speaks during a news conference outside the Fulton County Jail. (AP Photo/Kate Brumback)
Human rights lawyer Ben Crump, who represents Muhammad, said the meeting with the sheriff at the jail was like “going back to a youth who prayed every day and it’s not true,” adding that the treatment Muhammad received was “the very definition of intentional neglect” and violated his constitutional rights.
The Fulton County Jail has faced a number of problems over the years, prompting the US Department of Justice to launch a human rights investigation into prison conditions in 2023. The investigation revealed that the prisoners were housed in filthy and unsafe conditions that violated their constitutional rights.
The DOJ and district officials announced last year that they had filed a court-enforceable consent decree. An independent monitor has been visiting county jails and recording problems and any progress in solving them.
Crump pointed out that the Fulton County Board of Commissioners is very responsible for what happened to Muhammad as its members were informed of the problems but did not take action.
He suggested the county needed a new jail, a move the sheriff supported.
Earlier this month, the board of commissioners voted to borrow up to $1.3 billion for improvements to the jail, including a new special-purpose facility and renovations to the current main jail.
Crump also blamed the prison’s healthcare provider, NaphCare, saying its staff, as well as prison guards, ignored Muhammad’s calls for help.
Rashaad Muhammad places his hands with severed fingers on his lap during a news conference outside the Fulton County Jail. (AP Photo/Kate Brumback)
He said NaphCare should not provide medical care in the prison after another man held at the facility died in a cell infested with bedbugs in 2022.
Muhammad said his meeting with the sheriff was “successful” but “not enough.”
Crump said he and his client are asking for a criminal investigation into the incidents that led to the mutilation.
Muhammad’s legal team is gathering information and exploring “all possible legal avenues” to bring justice to Muhammad and hold those responsible accountable, Crump said.
One of his lawyers, Liza Park, said he uses a catheter for a chronic bladder condition that makes him susceptible to infections and that he always carries antibiotics and other medical supplies.
Muhammad was in jail in connection with the Aug. 11 shooting. He called 911, according to Park, but when police arrived, they arrested him on charges of assault and possession of a firearm. He told police during his arrest that he needed antibiotics and medical supplies that were in his car, Park said.
He was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital and allowed to be taken to jail, his attorneys said. He repeatedly told prison medical staff that he needed antibiotics and other medical supplies. As his condition worsened, other inmates appealed to the prison and health workers to help him.
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Attorney Ben Crump, left, speaks with his client, Rashaad Muhammad, during a news conference outside the Fulton County Jail. (AP Photo/Kate Brumback)
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Muhammad was “very depressed” when he was taken back to the hospital on August 22, according to Crump.
After he woke up a few weeks later, Muhammad’s hands and legs were so infected that doctors told him his fingers and lower legs would have to be amputated, saying it was a case of “living on limbs,” Crump said.
Muhammad spent months in the hospital and underwent several surgeries.
The charges against him were dropped while he was in the hospital, Park said.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office for comment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
