Tarrant County Sheriff speaks about June in-custody death, shares jail video after closure of the investigation

Mack Greer was arrested by White Settlement Police on a copper theft charge in May. His family was notified of his death on June 18.

TARRANT COUNTY, Texas — In a somewhat rare move, Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn is speaking publicly about in-custody deaths at the Tarrant County Jail.

During an interview with WFAA, Waybourn discussed the death of 46-year-old Mack Greer, sharing a timeline of what happened and video showing Greer being treated by paramedics before he died at the hospital.

This story continues below.

“It took four months to finish this case,” Waybourn said.

Greer was arrested by White Settlement Police on a copper theft charge last May. His family was notified of his death on June 18.

Waybourn said there were no incidents involving Greer from May 28 through June 6, when Greer requested medical attention for his mental health.

Then, on June 16, detention officers found Greer in medical distress.

The Tarrant County Medical Examiner later ruled Greer’s cause of death was complications of Moyamoya disease. Moyamoya disease is a rare brain disorder that limits blood flow to the brain, according to the National Institutes of Health. 

“He was diagnosed with this, apparently, several years ago. And that when he came into the jail, he was getting the medical attention that we could give him,” Waybourn said.

But Greer’s family disputes the circumstances surrounding his death. 

“We believe that our son suffered head injuries in the jail and that his death was ultimately related to those injuries, ” his parents Joseph and Leatta Hurd sent WFAA a statement Tuesday. “To this date, neither the Medical Examiner nor the Sheriff has contacted us about the coroner’s report or the cause of death.”

Waybourn strongly disputes those claims.

“It’s heartbreaking,” Waybourn said.

The sheriff said he remains focused on reducing the number of deaths inside the Tarrant County Jail. Since Waybourn took office in 2017, there have been 79 deaths in the Tarrant County Jail, according to figures shared by the sheriff. During that same period, Dallas County has had 85 jail deaths, Bexar County 115, and Harris County 149.

Waybourn is also facing questions about the latest death at the Tarrant County Jail involving 41-year-old Broshundrick McNeal, who died Oct. 18.

Because the investigation is ongoing, the sheriff said there is limited information he can publicly release.

“She was in our medical infirmary with the flu,” Waybourn said.

Waybourn said he remains determined to do everything possible to reduce in-custody deaths at the jail.