WyCo deputy knelt on man’s back for over a minute before he died, report shows
A Wyandotte County deputy charged with murder and involuntary manslaughter in connection with a man’s death knelt on the man’s back for more than a minute in his jail cell before he died, court records show.
A sworn affidavit from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation details how deputy Richard Fatherley restrained 50-year-old Charles Adair in his cell for 1 minute and 26 seconds. Fatherley continued to kneel on Adair’s back and put pressure on his shoulder even after other deputies believed Adair had stopped resisting, according to the affidavit.
The KBI investigated Adair’s death after medical staff found him unresponsive in his cell following an altercation with deputies. A medical examiner ruled Adair’s death a homicide in September, stating that he had died from “mechanical asphyxia,” or when an object or force prevents someone from breathing.
A retired undersheriff who reviewed Adair’s autopsy for The Star said Fatherley appeared to have used a “prone restraint” method which has been widely criticized since the death of George Floyd.
The Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office has declined to comment on the incident while the case remains in the court system. The sheriff’s office is conducting its own administrative investigation, a department spokesperson said.
National civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Harry Daniels, who are representing Adair’s family in a civil suit, issued a statement after a redacted version of the KBI’s investigative findings was released.
“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.” the statement said.
“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.”
Wyandotte County jail
Adair was taken into custody after he tried to “turn himself in” for warrants on misdemeanor traffic violations to Kansas City, Kansas, police at a casino July 4, according to the affidavit.
He was initially taken to jail, then had to be taken to a hospital for treatment of an infected wound on his leg, according to court documents.
At 4:25 a.m. July 4, Adair was medically cleared for incarceration, the affidavit said. According to records, Adair had complications with his left leg due to untreated diabetes. He was previously advised to have his leg amputated, but he refused, according to court documents.
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.
KBI details 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 the 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.
This led to an altercation with deputies, where Adair allegedly threw himself out of his wheelchair, and deputies handcuffed and wheeled back to his cell, according to the affidavit.
Deputy kneels on Adair’s back
The KBI provided a timeline of events leading up to Adair’s death in the affidavit.
At 8:36:18 p.m., Adair can be heard yelling “help” repeatedly as deputies try to control his movements, the KBI said. The top half of Adair’s body is seen on the bed, while the lower half of his body is off the bed with his knees on the ground, according to court documents.
At 8:36:22 p.m., 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. Fatherley’s 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 8:36:31 p.m., Adair is seen moving his arms forward toward another deputy, and he lays his head on the bed.
At 8:36:37 p.m., another deputy is seen assisting in removing handcuffs from Adair.
Adair’s last movement on camera can be seen at 8:36:46 p.m., according to the affidavit.
Then at 8:36:49 p.m., 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 the affidavit.
A deputy removes the handcuffs, and as each deputy exits 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, more than one minute after Adair stopped moving, according to the affidavit.
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.
Adair was pronounced dead at 9:19 p.m. despite life-saving measures, the KBI said.
Adair’s family calls for accountability
Fatherley will remain out of police custody until his November court date, despite facing murder charges, Wyandotte County District Attorney Mark Dupree said during a September news conference.
Dupree said Fatherley has been cooperative throughout the investigation and that it is standard practice for officers charged with crimes to receive a summons instead of being taken into custody.
Dupree also said that Fatherley is not a certified law enforcement officer. He has only worked in the Wyandotte County detention center.
Adair’s family has since started a petition calling on officials to arrest Fatherley.
Fatherley is accused of “unlawfully, feloniously, and unintentionally but recklessly under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life,” killing and unlawfully restraining Adair, according to a Wyandotte County court document.
The Star’s Sofi Zeman and Caroline Zimmerman contributed.
This story was originally published October 10, 2025 at 3:04 PM with the headline "WyCo deputy knelt on man’s back for over a minute before he died, report shows."
