Harris County sheriff speaks on man's death while leaving jail, video

HOUSTON - Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez discussed the death of a man who was leaving the Harris County Jail and video related to the incident.

Man dies while leaving Harris County Jail

The backstory:

Alexis Jovany Cardenas, 32, died on July 8. His cause of death has not yet been released.

The sheriff's office released video of the incident on Friday. Sheriff Gonzalez said Cardenas' family was invited to watch the video privately before it was released to the public.

Cardenas had been in jail since July 6 after being arrested by Houston Police on "multiple outstanding misdemeanor warrants," according to Sheriff Gonzalez.

During a press conference on Friday, the sheriff said Cardenas went through a standard medical screening while he was being booked into the jail. The screening showed "no major physical or mental health issues."

Harris County sheriff on man's death while leaving jail | Full press conference

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez discussed the death of Alexis Jovany Cardenas, a man who was leaving the Harris County Jail, and video related to the incident.

Officials report Cardenas was released from custody at 12:50 a.m. on July 8. According to Sheriff Gonzalez, Cardenas was being escorted to an exit by two detention officers since he "appeared agitated and was disruptive during his time in our custody."

As he was being walked to the exit, authorities claim he physically resisted the detention officers.

The sheriff's office said one officer used his taser to control Cardenas, but it was not effective. Cardenas reportedly forced his way back into the secure area of the jail where inmates were being processed for release.

After multiple officers eventually gained control of Cardenas, they realized he was unresponsive, officials said.

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The jail medical staff were called to the area to administer aid while a detention officer administered CPR in the meantime until they arrived, the sheriff's office stated.

Cardenas was taken to St. Joseph Hospital where he was pronounced deceased at 1:57 a.m.

Death investigation

What's next:

The Texas Rangers are investigating this incident. The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences is conducting an autopsy to determine Cardenas’ cause of death.

An administrative investigation to determine whether all relevant policies were followed is being conducted by Sheriff’s Office Internal Affairs.

Sheriff Gonzalez says the Harris County District Attorney's Office is gathering evidence of the incident, which will then be given to a grand jury.

During the investigations, the sheriff says a sergeant and six detention officers have been temporarily reassigned to positions that don't involve contact with inmates.