Former Corrections Officer Faces Retrial Over Inmate's Death in Ohio County Jail

Jury selection begins for former corrections officer's retrial in inmate's death at Ohio jail. Charges relate to a struggle and stun gun incident captured on video.

In Mansfield, Ohio, jury selection has commenced for the retrial of Mark Cooper, a former corrections officer facing serious charges following the death of an inmate at the Richland County jail in September 2019.

Cooper is facing a reckless homicide charge and two counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection to the death of 28-year-old Alexander Rios. The previous trial in November ended in a mistrial due to a hung jury.

The Ohio attorney general’s office has taken over the prosecution of the case after the first trial was handled by the Medina County prosecutor's office. Jury selection began on Monday and is expected to continue on Tuesday.

Incident Details

Rios lost consciousness during a struggle with guards after being shocked with a stun gun in September 2019. He passed away at a hospital eight days after the confrontation, which was recorded on video by jail staffers.

The video footage depicts a guard instructing Rios to step down from a partition inside his cell and warning him about being placed in a restraint chair for his own safety. When Rios refuses, guards swiftly intervene, resulting in Rios running from the cell and being promptly tackled. Five guards, including Cooper, are seen subduing him, while another officer off-camera instructs to "tase him."

During the encounter, one of the guards presses his fist into the side of Rios’ head and strikes him multiple times. Rios then appears to lose consciousness approximately 4 minutes into the video. Moments later, a guard remarks that Rios “is turning blue” as they attempt to secure his limp body into a restraint chair. Subsequently, an officer calls for an ambulance. Prior to the confrontation, Rios had been arrested on a charge of illegal conveyance of drugs onto the grounds of a government facility.

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