During a special meeting of the Sedgwick County Commission on Friday morning, County Commission Chair David Dennis said the county sheriff told him that, in the week of Lofton’s death in September, the FBI requested “all information” regarding the case, according to The Wichita Eagle. The commission was meeting to discuss recommendations from a community task force that a letter be written to the Department of Justice requesting an investigation into Lofton’s death, a motion that was ultimately approved in a 4-1 vote.
The case has sparked debates over “stand your ground” laws. Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett said last month that he was prevented from pursuing charges against any of the employees at the juvenile intake facility because they could claim they were acting in self-defense when Lofton was fatally injured, Newsweek has reported.
The lone dissenting vote regarding the DOJ request came from Commissioner Jim Howell, who said it was redundant since the FBI is already investigating. He was also hesitant to vote for a letter that hadn’t been written yet, according to The Eagle.
The Eagle reported that the task force’s recommendation was to ask the DOJ to “review whether federal crimes involving civil rights violations occurred in the circumstances surrounding” Lofton’s death.
“We are aware of the matter and have been in contact with area law enforcement,” FBI spokesperson Bridget Patton told The Eagle. “At this time, I would not be at liberty to provide any additional comment.”
Lofton was arrested on September 24 on suspicion of battery of an officer after police were called to his foster home after he allegedly “appeared paranoid and was behaving erratically,” according to a report from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.
He was taken to the Sedgwick County Juvenile Intake and Assessment Center.
At the intake facility, Lofton was taken from a cell to use the restroom. While returning to his cell, Lofton allegedly hit an employee in the head, and the altercation that followed involved Lofton being held on the ground for at least 30 minutes while he allegedly resisted and restraints were placed on him, the Associated Press reported. Staff members later realized he had no pulse.
Lofton’s death two days later in a local hospital was ruled a homicide in December due to the injuries he sustained at the intake facility, the AP reported, which contradicted an initial police report that stated he did not sustain life-threatening injuries.
