An Oklahoma inmate who previously sued over jail staffers torturing prisoners by playing “Baby Shark” on repeat for hours has been found dead in his prison cell. An officer performing site checks discovered John Basco unresponsive at roughly 3:50 a.m. at the Oklahoma County Detention Center, according to a press release.
- Medical professionals did try to save Basco’s life. Trained personnel reportedly tried to perform lifesaving efforts but 48-year-old Basco could not be revived and was pronounced dead just after 4 a.m. His family was notified shortly after his death.
- Authorities haven’t revealed his cause of death. Detention center officials have not been forthcoming when it comes to the details surrounding Basco’s death. This could be because an autopsy has not yet been performed and details could follow in the coming days/weeks.
- Basco was one of four inmates who filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the facility. The inmates accused officers of using excessive force as well as disciplining via “torture events” such as listening to “Baby Shark” for hours on end. The lawsuit was filed against Oklahoma County Sheriff Tommie Johnson III, the Board of County Commissioners, the jail trust, and two jail officers who no longer walked for the facility. They claimed officers played “Baby Shark” on repeat so loud that “it was reverberating down the hallways.”
