Tragedy occurred early Friday morning at the Cobb County Jail when an inmate, Horace Gibbs, 63, was found unresponsive in his cell. His cellmate Ernest Johnson notified the authorities. According to FOX 5 Atlanta, Gibbs was taken to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
The Cobb County Medical Examiner's Office conducted an autopsy and concluded that the death was homicide. Following this, Johnson, 52, was charged with felony murder and aggravated assault by strangulation. As noted by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the fatal incident has raised concerns regarding inmate safety and the conditions within the jail an overcrowded jail, facility that often relies on outsourcing inmates.
Gibbs has been held on a $12,500 bond since Sept. 2, 2022, after being arrested by the Atlanta Police Department on charges including criminal trespass and simple battery against a law enforcement officer. Johnson found himself behind bars, arrested by the Union City Police Department on Sept. 6, and faced counts of terrorist threats and acts, alongside willful obstruction of a law enforcement officer, with his bond set at $6,500.
The two men were housed at the Cobb County Jail as a result of overcrowding at Fulton County facilities, a common practice among local law enforcement agencies to manage population surges. Fulton County officials have stated that they not only send inmates to Cobb County but also to Oconee County and the Atlanta City Detention Center facilities.
