Inmate who died at Cleveland County jail has been identified
NORMAN — Police have identified a man who died last week at the Cleveland County jail.
Marconia Kessee, 34, died Jan. 16, hours after being arrested on a trespassing complaint after refusing to leave Norman Regional Hospital, 901 N Porter Ave., Norman police spokeswoman Sarah Jensen said.
Kessee was cleared by a hospital physician to be booked into the jail, where he was found unresponsive in a cell about two hours later, she said.
Body camera footage from officer Kyle Canaan was released Tuesday. In it, officers Canaan and Daniel Brown are seen arguing with Kessee for about 15 minutes before he is dragged through the hospital parking lot and placed in the back seat of a police car, Jensen said.
The officers attempt to persuade Kessee to get up and go to the nearby Salvation Army shelter, but quickly become frustrated and accuse him of faking illness.
“Are you just putting on a show so you have somewhere to stay? Because we can get you to Salvation Army,” Brown said.
“It ain’t fooling a single person, I can tell you that,” Canaan said.
“I could teach my dog to put a shoe on quicker than this,” Brown said.
Both remain on paid leave.
“Following the review of the video, it generally appears that the officers followed basic protocol. There is no indication at this time that the actions of the two officers contributed to the death of Kessee. However, the department has launched an administrative review of the actions and disparaging comments made by the two officers,” Jensen wrote in a news release.
Both remain on paid leave during an internal investigation, she said.
Kessee’s death is being investigation by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.