A woman is claiming that the Hunts Bay police caused her brother’s death after weeks of neglect. The woman raised serious concerns about conditions inside the Hunts Bay lockup, where her brother was an inmate. The woman alleges that officials ignored repeated pleas for medical care amid what she says was an outbreak of tuberculosis.
In a video posted on January 5, the grieving sister said her brother, Tevin, also known as “Foster”, died on January 3 after weeks of illness while in custody. She claims his condition steadily worsened and that requests for him to see a doctor or be taken to the hospital were repeatedly delayed or dismissed.
According to her account, Kevin first complained of feeling unwell during the week leading up to Christmas. She said he told her he was “not getting better” and felt unusually dry and weak. Concerned, she urged him to drink fluids and planned to bring coconut water, Gatorade, fruits and water during visits to help keep him hydrated.
She said she repeatedly pressed officers to take him to a doctor. Eventually, Kevin told her he had been taken to a clinic across the road, where, after being examined, he was reportedly advised to be taken to a hospital. He indicated that he was referred to a specialised hospital, but, according to the family, that transfer never happened.
From that point, the woman said she began calling police stations daily, searching online for contact numbers and reaching out through someone close to the security force, but some calls went unanswered. She said even a lawyer, though on vacation at the time, contacted the station to plead for Kevin to be taken for proper medical care.
Whenever she got through to the police and begged them to take her brother to the hospital, the officers were more fixated on how she was receiving information from inside the lockup and pressed her to reveal if there was contraband inside.
During the illegal phone calls to her, Kevin reportedly described difficulty swallowing medication, severe dryness in his mouth, burning in his chest and stomach, and an inability to eat. At one point, he said a female officer crushed medication and mixed it with water so he could take it. Despite this, the family were later told he had refused medication, a claim they dispute.
Most alarming to the family were Kevin’s statements about illnesses inside the facility. He told his sister there was a “tuberculosis outbreak” at the lockup, along with chickenpox, and said he felt as though the illness was “eating him up.”
The woman said officers were aware he was sick, pointing to comments made during visits about the large amounts of drinks brought for him. Still, she alleges he was never taken to the hospital. After his death, she claims the family was told he collapsed, a version of events she says does not reflect what they were reporting for weeks.
