A 49-year-old man died Thursday after experiencing a medical emergency at the DeKalb County Jail — marking at least the sixth inmate death at the facility in just over two years.
Preston Gabriel Bush of Doraville was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office. The jail’s medical team and EMS responded to the emergency, but officials haven’t released details about what happened or how long Bush had been in custody.
A Pattern of Deaths
This isn’t an isolated incident. Since May 2023, several inmates have died while in custody at the DeKalb jail:
- February 2025: Regis Darnell Jackson, 35, found unresponsive in his housing unit
- May 2024: Charles Robert Smith, 31, died after a medical emergency in his cell
- March 2024: Christon Devante Collins, 27, died two days after suffering a medical crisis
- July 2023: Ricky Lavoghn McCullum, 58, became unresponsive in the intake area after returning from a hospital stay
- May 2023: Enil Guillen, 20, died in what officials described as a possible suicide
What We Don’t Know
The sheriff’s office hasn’t shared crucial details about Bush’s death, including:
- What charges he faced or why he was in jail
- How long he’d been in custody
- What type of medical emergency occurred
- Whether he had known health conditions
The DeKalb County Medical Examiner will determine the official cause of death, and the Sheriff’s Office of Professional Standards is investigating — the same process followed after each previous death.
Why This Matters
When someone dies in jail, they’re in government custody. That means the government is responsible for their safety and medical care. Six deaths in two years at one facility raises serious questions about whether the jail is meeting that responsibility.
The deaths also cost taxpayers money through potential lawsuits…