In 2024 alone, 13 deaths occurred in the Bexar County Jail, leading the state to deem the facility noncompliant for the second time in just 18 months.
BEXAR COUNTY, Texas — A man who says he was twice assaulted by inmates while in custody at the Bexar County jail is suing, claiming that “policies and/or customs were moving forces” behind his injuries.
The lawsuit, filed Jan. 3 by attorneys representing Richard Robert Lee Gomez, claims that detention guards on duty either opened his holding cell door or through their “inattention” allowed inmates to open it before they entered and attacked him on Jan. 7, 2023. Sometime later, he was allegedly assaulted again by the same inmates.
Afterwards, the lawsuit claims, Gomez didn’t receive medical treatment until the next shift of jail personnel “saw his grave and bloody condition” before taking him to the hospital. He says he went unattended with his injuries for hours, with “heavy bleeding to his face, head and body” before an ambulance arrived to take him to a hospital.
The lawsuit says Gomez suffered a brain bleed, facial and left rib fractures due to the attack.
Saying the jail “was effectively an operational mess for years,” the lawsuit is seeking damages from Bexar County and says Gomez is pursuing “all remedies and damages available” to him under Texas and federal law.
“Bexar County acted or failed to act at all relevant times through its employees, agents, representatives, jailers, and/or chief policymakers,” says the lawsuit, which is seeking a jury trial.
In 2024 alone, 13 deaths occurred in the Bexar County Adult Detention Center, with 12 total deaths in the year prior. This led to the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) to deem the jail noncompliant for the second time in just 18 months.
On Jan. 1, the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, which operates the west-side facility, made an announcement saying the jail had regained compliance with TCJS jail standards.