Dennis Gann, a 54-year-old inmate at the Hamilton County Jail and Detention Center, died Saturday after suffering a medical emergency behind bars, according to officials. Jail staff had seen him behaving normally less than 30 minutes before he was found unresponsive, and corrections deputies and contract medical personnel performed CPR and used an automated external defibrillator before he was rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
According to Chattanoogan.com, Hamilton County Sheriff's Office corrections personnel were alerted that an inmate was unresponsive at the facility, triggering the emergency response. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is now investigating Gann's death, and the District Attorney's Office has been notified, per NewsChannel 9. Once the investigation wraps up, its findings will be turned over to the District Attorney's Office for review.
A History of Chronic Illness
The sheriff's office said Gann had a known medical history involving multiple chronic illnesses and was monitored in accordance with standard facility procedures, as reported by the Times Free Press. That account has not been independently confirmed beyond the department's own statement, and officials have cautioned that details remain preliminary and subject to change.
Gann's daughter told a local outlet that her father had congestive heart failure and took medication daily, but said she did not know whether he had been receiving that medication while in custody.
Arrested After a Vehicle Pursuit
Gann had been in custody since October 19, after a vehicle pursuit, according to the same NewsChannel 9 report cited above. He was facing charges that included felony evading arrest, reckless driving, driving on a revoked, suspended or cancelled license, and unlawful removal of a registration plate.
Second In-Custody Death This Year
The sheriff's office said Gann's death marks the second in-custody death at the Hamilton County Jail and Detention Center in 2026. The first came in August, when 's office described the death of Colin Shannon as the jail's first reported in-custody death of the year. Shannon suffered a medical emergency on the evening of August 10, received medical aid from corrections personnel, and was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced deceased, according to the Eastridge News. As with Gann's case, the TBI investigated and findings were slated to go to the District Attorney's Office for review once complete.
A Broader Pattern of Undercounted Deaths
The Hamilton County cases arrive against a backdrop of documented gaps in how Tennessee tracks inmate deaths statewide. A review by WBIR found records for more than 600 Tennessee inmates who died in custody between 2017 and 2020, even though the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's official Law Enforcement-Related Deaths Report counted only 337 deaths for that same period. The station's investigation found at least 30 deaths beyond the 87 officially reported for 2017, pushing that year's real total to at least 117. For 2018 through 2020, WBIR identified additional undercounts of at least 18, 64, and 153 deaths respectively beyond what the state's official figures showed.
That statewide discrepancy does not establish what caused Gann's death, and no autopsy or medical examiner findings have been made public. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's review of this case remains active, and officials have not said when it might conclude or what, if anything, the District Attorney's Office will determine once the findings are submitted.
