The family of Christian Black has reached a $7 million settlement with Montgomery County, Ohio, following his death in the county jail last March. Black, 25, died after being restrained by deputies, and his family is pushing for changes to prevent similar tragedies.
Christian Black was arrested after crashing a stolen car and taken to the Montgomery County Jail. Video released by his family showed him inside a cell, visibly distressed—yelling and banging his head and fist against a glass door. Nine deputies then rushed in, pinned him to the floor, handcuffed him, and placed him in a restraint chair.
While Black was restrained, he became unresponsive. Jail staff checked his vital signs and rubbed his chest, but nearly nine minutes passed before they started CPR. Black was hospitalized and died two days later. The county coroner ruled his death a homicide caused by positional asphyxia—a condition where the chest can’t expand properly, cutting off oxygen.
Montgomery County has accepted responsibility for the incident and expressed sympathy to the Black family. County officials are planning to improve mental health care in the jail by adding nearly 100 more inpatient beds, expanding from 12 to 112 medical beds. But Christian’s mother, Misty Black, made it clear that the settlement is not the end of her fight. She wants justice and calls for the jail officers involved to face criminal charges.
So far, no deputies have been charged, and an investigation is ongoing. The sheriff’s office has not commented on the settlement.
The case has raised concerns about how jails handle people in mental health crises and the use of restraints that can be deadly. Christian Black’s family hopes the settlement will lead to big changes and accountability.