CORRECTION: Dennoriss Richardson was incorrectly identified in the original article. The name has been updated below:
SHEFFIELD, Ala. — The FBI has launched an investigation into the death of Dennoriss Richardson, a Black man found hanging in an abandoned building in Colbert County, Alabama. Richardson’s death, initially ruled a suicide by local authorities, has sparked outrage from his family, who believe it may be connected to his ongoing lawsuit against the Sheffield Police Department over allegations of brutality.
Dennoriss Richardson, 39, had accused multiple officers in Sheffield of using excessive force, harassment, and abuse during a series of incidents dating back to 2022. In his lawsuit, filed earlier this year, he claimed that police officers repeatedly assaulted him, denied him medical care, and subjected him to racial slurs while he was in custody. His family asserts that Richardson had been living in fear of retaliation from law enforcement following the filing of the suit.
Colbert County Sheriff Eric Balentine, who is overseeing the investigation into Richardson’s death, maintains that the evidence points to suicide. However, due to concerns raised by the family, the case has been referred to federal authorities for a broader investigation .
Richardson’s lawsuit paints a disturbing picture of law enforcement in Sheffield, a small city in northwest Alabama. According to court documents, he was subjected to repeated physical abuse while in police custody, including being tasered, pepper-sprayed, and struck despite his well-documented medical conditions, such as asthma and diabetes. One officer, Lt. Max Dotson, who was named in the lawsuit, was later fired and convicted on separate assault charges.
The allegations against the Sheffield Police Department have drawn attention to the broader issue of police violence and systemic racism in Alabama, a state with a long history of civil rights struggles. Critics say that police brutality, particularly against Black men, remains an entrenched problem in many areas, including Colbert County.
Colbert County, like many parts of Alabama, has a troubled racial history. Though it is not the site of high-profile civil rights battles like Birmingham or Selma, smaller communities in the area have faced persistent allegations of discriminatory policing and abuse. Activists point out that these patterns have led to deep mistrust between local Black communities and law enforcement.
Dennoriss Richardson death has renewed calls for reform of the state’s police practices and jail conditions, which have long been criticized as dangerous and inhumane. Alabama’s prison system, in particular, has been described as one of the most violent in the nation, with overcrowding, understaffing, and rampant abuse of prisoners cited in federal lawsuits against the state.
The conditions in Alabama’s jails and prisons have long been a focal point of concern for human rights advocates. In 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the Alabama Department of Corrections, accusing the state of failing to protect inmates from rampant violence, sexual abuse, and unsafe living conditions. A federal investigation found that the state’s correctional facilities were overcrowded, understaffed, and prone to neglect, contributing to the dangerous environment for prisoners .
For Richardson’s family, the unsafe conditions he faced while in police custody, coupled with the alleged brutality, reinforce their belief that his death is part of a larger pattern of abuse.
As the FBI investigates the circumstances surrounding Richardson’s death, civil rights advocates are urging a deeper examination of how Alabama’s law enforcement and prison systems treat vulnerable populations, particularly Black men and those with medical conditions.
For now, the community in Sheffield waits for answers, hoping that federal authorities will provide the transparency and justice that local officials have not.