Wyandotte jail deputy knelt on a handcuffed man; coroner ruled his death a homicide
Charles Adair, 50, died July 5, 2025, at the Wyandotte County Detention Center, a day after his arrest on misdemeanor warrants for missing court on traffic charges. Police documents say detention officer Richard Fatherley knelt on Adair's back for 1 minute and 26 seconds; the family's lawsuit says Adair was handcuffed, in a wheelchair, and placed face down in an unauthorized prone restraint. The coroner ruled the death a homicide by mechanical asphyxiation. Fatherley was charged in September 2025 with second-degree unintentional but reckless murder and placed on unpaid leave. On April 10, 2026, Adair's estate sued the Unified Government, Fatherley, Sheriff Daniel Soptic and five deputies in federal court, alleging Soptic failed to train deputies, who the suit says had no use-of-force training in three to five years. The sheriff's office and Unified Government declined to comment. Soptic remains sheriff.
Mr. Adair repeatedly yelled for 'help,'
The Unified Government is unable to comment on pending litigation.
The first time we received any request from the family or their attorneys to view the video was April 16, 2026,
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The Unified Government is unable to comment on pending litigation.
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