MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Less than a week after indictments came in for nine Shelby County corrections deputies in the in-custody death of Gershun Freeman at the Shelby County Jail, the ninth deputy is out of jail after being booked on charges, after previously being unknown.
According to Shelby County court records, and confirmed by the criminal court, Charles Gatewood was booked after turning himself in on Monday, Sept. 25 on the charge of aggravated assault resulting in the death of another, the same charge eight other corrections deputies face in Freeman's death. He posted bond of $35,000.
Eight of the nine charged deputies turned themselves into jail last week, while Gatewood's identity was initially withheld from the indictment and at large.
State prosecutors released the grand jury indictment Thursday against nine Shelby County corrections deputies charged in the in-custody death of Shelby County Jail inmate Gershun Freeman in 2022.
Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner announced Wednesday nine Shelby County corrections deputies had been charged, but did not release their names.
While Bonner, who also pledged he'd pay legal fees for the nine deputies, did not identify them, public employee and jail records showed six Shelby County jailers were charged with various violent crimes leading to a death on October 5, 2022, the same day Freeman died inside 201 Poplar.
Sheriff Bonner claimed the "early" release of "edited" video of the deadly altercation was a political move meant to derail his campaign for Memphis mayor.
Several of his political opponents for office, as well as Shelby County D.A. Steve Mulroy, weighed in on the press conference Wednesday.
A video of the altercation inside the jail showing Freeman being beaten and restrained by multiple correctional officers was released March 2.
The last minutes of the video show Gershun being restrained naked by multiple officers while handcuffed, lying face down on the jail floor. One officer is seen kneeling on his back for about four minutes until his body goes limp.
Brice Timmons and Jake Brown, attorneys for Gershun Freeman's family, commented Wednesday immediately after Bonner's press conference, alleging the Sheriff was in violation of state law by commenting on the indictments before they were officially un-sealed, which they said will happen Monday.
They blasted Bonner on a poor record in office as Sheriff, referencing 40 deaths in the Shelby County Jail during his tenure, which they claimed was more inmate deaths than New York's infamous Rikers Island prison during the same time frame.
“We’re standing in front of the Wall of Honor," Brown said. "Law enforcement should be a noble profession...Bonner has dishonored the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office.”
The family attorneys also claimed the deputies named in the indictments are still employed at the Shelby County Jail and that there are more officers responsible for Freeman's death but have not been indicted yet.
“The family was very relieved that some sort of justice was being brought," Sara McKinney, a part of the Freeman family's legal team told ABC24. "Certainly, those weren’t the only nine officers involved, but it was a huge win.”