Man yelled for ‘help’ as deputy knelt on him before WyCo jail death: KBI report
A man who died while in custody at the Wyandotte County Jail in July repeatedly yelled for “help” while officers tried to restrain him, according to investigative documents from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.
The KBI investigated the death of Charles L. Adair, 50, after medical staff found him unresponsive in his cell following an altercation with deputies. Adair’s death was ruled a homicide by a medical examiner, and a Wyandotte County deputy has been charged with second degree murder and involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death.
An investigation into Adair’s death revealed that during an altercation around 8 p.m. July 5, an officer applied pressure to Adair’s back and shoulders with his knee, using a “prone restraint” method criticized since the death of George Floyd.
Until this week, details about what happened leading up to and during the altercation were unknown. The Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office declined to comment about the case while it remained in the court system.
A redacted affidavit released by Wyandotte County District Court shows that a deputy kept kneeling on Adair’s back even after other deputies believed he had stopped resisting.
National civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Harry Daniels, who represent Adair’s family, released a statement about the affidavit, saying, “The newly released affidavit confirms that Charles Adair was handcuffed, lying on his stomach with a severely injured leg, and posed no threat when a deputy pressed a knee into his back, resulting in his death.
“We will continue advocating for Charles Adair, and his family, demanding full transparency and accountability. Those responsible must be held accountable, and justice must be served.”
KBI describes altercation with deputies
According to investigators, Adair was involved in a disturbance with inmates the morning before he was killed. Adair had allegedly been yelling profanities, to which other inmates yelled back for him to stop. A lockdown ensued, but Adair allegedly refused to get back in his cell, according to court documents.
Deputies were able to get Adair back in his cell that morning with “no further incident,” the KBI said.
Later that night, just after 8 p.m., Adair went to get a wound on his leg treated by medical staff in the jail. As he was being transported in a wheelchair back to his cell, he argued with the deputy about controlling the wheel chair, according to court documents.
Adair is then seen in surveillance footage throwing himself out of the wheelchair onto the floor of the medical unit and yelling as deputies meet him in the hallway, according to court documents.
The KBI said in court documents that during interviews, several deputies said Adair’s speech at that point was incoherent.
Deputies then placed Adair back in the wheelchair and handcuffed his hands front of him, according to court documents.
As the deputies wheeled Adair back to his cell, he allegedly continued to resist and tried to stop the wheelchair while waving his arms around, according to court documents.
Adair, still in handcuffs, is then picked up from the wheelchair by several deputies and placed on his stomach on the bottom bunk in his cell, the KBI said.
Deputy kneels on Adair’s back
At this point, around 8:36 p.m., Adair can be heard yelling “help” repeatedly as deputies try to control his movements, according to court documents. The top half of Adair’s body is on the bed, while the lower half of his body is off the bed with his knees on the ground, according to court documents.
In the surveillance footage, Wyandotte County Deputy Richard Fatherly is then seen placing his left knee on the lower part of Adair’s back with his right leg planted on the ground, according to court documents. His left hand was on Adair’s upper left shoulder.
Fatherley was then heard saying, “You’re done, stop, give me your hands,” to which Adair then replied, “OK,” according to court documents.
At least two other deputies are seen assisting in holding Adair’s left arm and shoulder down, according to court documents.
Adair is then seen pushing his arms toward a deputy, and laying his head on the bed, the KBI said. Deputies are then seen trying to remove the handcuffs, according to court documents.
While other deputies try to remove the handcuffs, Fatherley is seen shifting his weight forward, appearing to apply more weight on his left leg, still on Adair’s back, and left arm, which is still on Adair’s left shoulder, according to court documents.
At 8:37 p.m., a deputy removes the handcuffs and, one by one, each deputy leaves the cell, according to court documents. As deputies exit the cell, Fatherley continues to hold Adair down on the bed. Adair is not seen moving, his hands are still pushed forward and his head is face down on the bed, according to court documents.
Fatherley then removes his weight from Adair’s body and leaves the cell, according to court documents.
Shortly after the deputies left the cell, a nurse came to check on Adair, per policy after a use of force situation, the KBI said.
Two deputies enter the cell with the nurse, and body camera footage shows Adair still in the same kneeling position he was in when Fatherley left the cell, the KBI said.
The deputies move Adair onto his back on the floor of the cell and notice he is unresponsive, according to court documents. One deputy applies a sternum rub and checks for a pulse, but does not find one, according to court documents.
The nurse then called for paramedics while deputies performed CPR, court documents said. Adair was pronounced dead at 9:19 p.m. despite life-saving measures, the KBI said.
Adair’s cause of death
A medical examiner ruled Adair’s cause of death to be homicide from mechanical asphyxia, or when a force or object prevents someone from breathing.
Other factors also contributed to Adair’s death, including hypertensive cardiovascular disease and hepatic cirrhosis due to chronic alcoholism.
During a medical screening, Adair identified he had the following medical conditions, according to the KBI: pacemaker, blood clots in his left arm, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, diabetic, high cholesterol and schizophrenic.
It is unclear if the deputies involved in the altercation knew about Adair’s medical conditions.
Fatherley is charged with second degree murder and involuntary manslaughter in connection with Adair’s death.
According to court documents, deputies who were interviewed by the KBI had conflicting opinions on when and if Adair complied and stopped resisting. The identities of the deputies, apart from Fatherley, are redacted in court documents.
A deputy who was seen holding Adair’s arms and shoulders down told the KBI he could feel Adair trying to pull his arms away, but that he was able to get Adair’s arms over his head. That deputy said Adair did become compliant and stopped fighting against them at one point, but deputies continued to restrain him in case he resisted again, according to court documents.
Another deputy said he took pressure off Adair’s legs when he noticed Adair had become compliant, according to court records.
The deputy that removed handcuffs from Adair in his cell told the KBI he did not believe Adair ever stopped resisting since he saw Adair pulling his arms toward him and move his legs, according to court documents.
Another deputy said they felt Adair did not stop resisting, because she saw Adair try to tuck his arms underneath his body and that his arms “always felt tense,” according to court documents.
During interviews with the KBI, the deputies involved were asked if they had been taught what to do when someone shows compliance, either verbally or physically, court documents said.
A retired undersheriff who reviewed Adair’s autopsy at the request of The Star said it is best practice for officers to sit people up after restraining them and get them immediate medical attention.
“Deputies said they were educated in what to do in use of force situations and advised they were taught to stop all force, restraint techniques, and to monitor the situation to see if the person stays compliant,” court documents said.
According to court documents, the deputies also said the last hands-on training in defense tactics that most of them completed was in their basic academy.
Deputies told KBI investigators that the last training they received to review hands-on techniques was between three to five years ago.
This story was originally published October 3, 2025 at 1:04 PM.
