Five Virginia deputies have been fired from their jobs after the death of an inmate who died while being restrained was ruled a homicide.
Authorities say 34-year-old Rolin Hill died in June while he was being booked into Virginia Beach Correctional Center by multiple deputies just days after being arrested on charges of trespassing, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.
According to the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office, Hill was being “uncooperative and combative” during the booking process and had to be restrained. The Virginian-Pilot reported that less than half an hour after he arrived at the jail, he suffered a medical emergency and had to be rushed to a local hospital. He died six days later.
According to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Hill died from “positional and mechanical asphyxia due to restraint with neck and torso compression.”
The sheriff’s office released a statement saying that the deputies involved in Hill’s booking have been fired.
“Based on updates from the Virginia State Police in the Rolin Hill case, deputies of the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office involved in this incident are no longer employees of the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office,” Sheriff Rocky Holcomb stated.