Five Oklahoma County Jail inmates are facing charges of first degree murder, second degree murder, and assault and battery after inmate Curtis Williams was shot and killed by officers during a hostage situation on March 27.
Background
On March 27, 2021, around 4 p.m. Curtis Williams got out of his cell at the Oklahoma County Jail.
Around 4:17 p.m. Williams used the detention officer’s OC spray against the officer.
Calls began rolling into OKCPD dispatch from concerned citizens who were watching the situation via a live stream on social media that another inmate had started.
Officers got to the jail around 4:30 p.m. but did not enter the jail until closer to 5:00 p.m.
Around 4:45 p.m. OKCPD says a second inmate stabbed the detention officer multiple times.
Around 5:00 p.m. Williams assaulted another inmate and then began holding the detention officer hostage.
Police then shot and killed Williams and the detention officer falls down the stairs and is grabbed by OKCPD officers to take him to safety.
William’s body was then taken out of the jail around 6:00 p.m.
Community Reaction
After word spread of the situation at the Oklahoma County Jail, many came together to protest the jail. Some even calling for the resignation of Oklahoma City Police Chief Wade Gourley.
Oklahoma City Police do not run the jail nor do they typically respond to incidents at the jail.
Some activists said they believed the situation was caused by poor conditions in the jail.
County Commissioner Brian Maughan says the conditions of the jail had nothing to do with the hostage situation.
Maughan said, “this had to do with the individual actions of the inmate, which is a risk that can occur in any jail, at any time. The inmate sadly chose his action and ultimately it cost him his life.”
Rep. Jason Lowe, D- Oklahoma City, wrote a letter to U.S. Attorney Merrick Garland saying there needs to be federal intervention at the Oklahoma County Detention Center.
Rep. Lowe said the situation at the jail is dire as 10 inmates have died since the Oklahoma County Jail Trust took over operations on July 1, 2020.
Rep. Lowe’s full letter
Williams’s mother spoke after the incident saying “My son did not have to die, he didn’t have to die.”
His family claims the poor conditions of the jail forced him to act out.
“He would have me and his mom call up the jail and ask them when they’re going to feed them and when they going to pass commissary out,” said Alyssa Wesley, friend, and mother to Williams’ children. “He would tell me there’s mold in the shower, there are bed bugs and roaches. He hated it there.”
Health Conditions
An Oklahoma State Health Department report found 26 health violations during a yearly review.
The report stated there was poor infrastructure and insufficient staffing at the jail causing major issues.
Oklahoma State Department of Health Report
Complaints from inmates were proven to be valid with the Health Department noting in its report that there was mold in several shower cells, on shower curtains. and in air vents.
They also noted that some hot meals were not being delivered in time and were therefore cold by the time inmates got them.
Jail administrator Greg Williams says he believes some of those fixes caused the hostage situation because inmates could no longer send drugs through the pipes of the building since they fixed the jail’s toilets.
He told FOX 25 that they had intercepted three contraband drops the weekend before the hostage situation.
The jail was given 60 days to improve conditions by the Oklahoma State Department of Health.
We checked back in with the jail on June 9th and they said “we believe we’re on the right track. We’re doing the right things.”
On June 21, 2021, Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater filed charges against five inmates involved in the hostage situation.
Gregory Jordan, Justin Leslie, Darius Pleasant, Marlon Craft II, and Charles Johnson were all named in the court document.
Prater has filed first-degree murder charges against Jordan and Leslie saying they helped Williams in the kidnapping incident leading to his death.
According to the affidavit, video evidence and statements by witnesses reveal Jordan held the detention officer against his will by using a makeshift knife.
“Jordan and and fellow inmate Curtis Williams were two of the main leaders of this riot and taking Misquez hostage,” the affidavit reads.
It reports Leslie repeatedly stabbed Misquez with a makeshift knife in his upper thigh and was also reported to be a leader behind the hostage situation.
Leslie is also charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon for stabbing Detention Officer Daniel Misquez.
Pleasant, Craft II, and Johnson are charged with second-degree murder by causing the police shooting Prater says.
According to the affidavit, Pleasant used Misquez’s jail keys to open cell doors on the 10th floor and release inmates.
