DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Activists are asking for answers in the death last week of an Iowa inmate.
More than 30 protesters gathered near the Des Moines police station Friday night to demand more information on the March 25 death of 38-year-old Lamont Walls, the Des Moines Register (https://dmreg.co/1VjueuX ) reported. Walls was found unconscious in his Polk County jail cell.
Calvetta Williams with Mothers Against Violence said she and others feel there was not enough transparency from officials immediately after Walls died.
“We didn’t come to riot. We just came to be seen,” Williams said. “We want to see change. We know there are things wrong in our city. We just want some answers.”
An autopsy revealed that nine plastic baggies containing heroin were in Walls’ stomach. A drug screening during the autopsy indicated there was heroin present in Walls’ system. The cause of death will not be released until all toxicology results are returned, which may take weeks.
Activists have said they wanted authorities to release medical records and video footage of Walls in jail.
“We’re willing to sit down and meet the police halfway, if they’re willing to talk with us,” Williams said. “But we know there’s stuff wrong, and we want to be heard.”
Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie was at the gathering, saying he was there to listen to the protesters’ concerns.
In response to activists’ calls for more information, Des Moines Police spokesman Sgt. Paul Parizek said that in police investigations “accuracy takes time.”
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Information from: The Des Moines Register, https://www.desmoinesregister.com
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