After an arrest by security officers at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in the United States, Waweru Mwaura who was a Kenyan immigrant returning to his motherland, allegedly committed suicide in unclear circumstances on November 30, 2018.
In a report by The Dallas Morning News, Mwaura was arrested at the airport by police officers on charges of driving under influence and was locked up at the airport cells where he hanged himself.
“Hours after his arrest, the 43-year-old hanged himself with his jeans. The Tarrant County medical examiner’s office ruled his death a suicide,” reported the newspaper.
According to the newspaper, on the day of his arrest, airport officials booked Mwaura at 11.45am and did not show any signs of being suicidal during his evaluation.
During a check by airport officials at 2.51pm, Mwaura was still alive, only to be found hanging by his jeans at 3.54pm
The publication also indicated that Mwaura made frantic phone calls when he was arrested, including a call made 20 minutes before an official found his body hanging in the cell.
During the call, he raised concerns that he was not okay and would be in jail for a long time.
Through a Texas lawyer, Justin Moore, the Mwaura’s family has now sued DFW Airport for the death of their kin, citing lack of proper monitoring of the deceased while in the cell.
According to the lawyer, the Texas Administrative Code wasn’t observed as it recommends for face-to-face observation of an inmate every hour-or half-hour in situations where the prisoner is potentially suicidal.
An official at the airport also confirmed that inmates ought to be checked every 30 to 60 minutes and that officers on duty had missed the time to check on Mwaura by four minutes.
The lawyer also accused the airport of not giving enough information in relation to the circumstances that led to Mwaura’s death.
“The family isn’t alleging foul play by officials but wants to obtain evidence such as surveillance footage to reveal the truth.
“I think there needs to be an honest retelling of when the person who was checking on him actually checked on him, and that needs to be reflected by surveillance camera footage. Until we see that, I think there’s going to be a major transparency issue from this airport,” added the lawyer.
Mwaura went to the United States as a student and later settled and got married before getting a divorce.
