Family waited months to see video of WyCo jail death. Here’s what to know | Opinion
Editor's Note: The family of Charles Adair, who died in Wyandotte County custody last summer, finally viewed body camera footage of his death this week. Civil rights attorneys and columnist Toriano Porter say it took too long, and the public deserves to see it too.
FULL STORY: WyCo should show footage after suspicious death sooner to family, public | Opinion
Here are key takeaways:
- Charles Adair, 50, of Kansas City, Kansas, was found unresponsive in a Wyandotte County jail cell on July 5, 2025, after an altercation with deputies. A medical examiner ruled his death a homicide caused by mechanical asphyxia.
- Deputy Richard Fatherley has been charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter. Investigators say video shows him kneeling on Adair’s back for over a minute while Adair was face down on a bed, handcuffed and yelling for help.
- Adair’s family viewed the body camera footage for the first time months after his death. “We basically watched our loved one die,” his sister Erica Adair said. “They knelt on his back until he was breathless.”
- Sheriff Daniel Soptic said the sheriff’s office did not receive a formal request from the family or their attorneys to view the video until April 16, 2026.
- Adair was jailed over unpaid tickets from traffic violations. “A traffic violation shouldn’t be a death sentence,” family attorney Ted Ruzicka said.
- Fatherley was placed on unpaid administrative leave, but was issued only a criminal summons rather than being arrested and booked. The family filed a wrongful death lawsuit April 10 against Fatherley, Soptic and the Unified Government of Wyandotte County.
- Police departments in Overland Park, Topeka, Omaha and San Jose have policies for faster release of body camera footage. WyCo and KCK agencies should follow suit.
The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.