‘Unresponsive and severely injured’ inmate dies after jail fight, Texas sheriff says

Detention officers responding to a fight between two inmates in a holding cell found one of the men “unresponsive and severely injured,” Texas officials said.

The Harris County Jail officers were called to the third-floor cell at about 11:16 p.m. Oct. 29, and the inmate was “immediately taken to the jail medical unit for treatment,” according to a news release from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. The inmate was then moved to Ben Taub Hospital at about 11:51 p.m. that evening, where he was pronounced dead Sunday, Oct. 31.

The inmate has been identified by the sheriff’s office as 19-year-old Fred Harris. Officials say he was involved in a physical fight with 25-year-old Michael Ownby, who did not require hospitalization.

“It was not immediately clear what led to the fight,” the sheriff’s office said. The Texas Rangers are investigating Harris’ death, and the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences will conduct an autopsy.

Harris had been booked into jail on Oct. 11 on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon following an arrest by the Houston Police Department, according to the news release. Ownby was booked into the jail on Oct. 28 on charges of assault on a public servant, continuous violence against the family and evading arrest from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.

Officials have also filed a charge of aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury against Ownby following the fatal fight.

This story was originally published November 2, 2021 at 1:37 PM with the headline "‘Unresponsive and severely injured’ inmate dies after jail fight, Texas sheriff says."