AUSTIN, Texas — Chester Jackson Jr was given sedative drugs in a psychiatric hospital and had stopped breathing, before he was taken to an Austin hospital and placed on life support, according to 911 audio first obtained by KAGS News.
In response to our request for records related to the Chester Jackson Jr case, the City of Austin provided KAGS this 911 call from the date Chester Jackson was taken to the hospital.
In an emergency call between staff at Cross Creek Psychiatric Hospital and Austin 911 operators, staff say Jackson “became agitated” and was given “2mg of Ativan, 10mg of Haldol, and 50mg of Benadryl,” after he was dropped off by Burleson County deputies. The staff member also says Jackson was “placed in a hold and he’s not breathing.”
Jackson's attorney confirms the audio's legitimacy. In the call, staff refer to Jackson as 50 years old, when he is in fact 30. After detecting a pulse, EMTs revised Jackson's age in 911 call records to approximately 35 years old, according to a report also obtained by KAGS.
The 911 call audio is below. Warning: it may be considered graphic.
Nurses were administering CPR when paramedics arrived and told 911 operators they had an automated external defibrillator in the room.
Jackson was at the psychiatric hospital less than four hours before staff called 911.
KAGS News has reached out to Cross Creek Hospital and is awaiting comment.
This is the first time we’ve learned why Jackson was taken to the emergency room, filling a crucial gap of information in the timeline of his arrest, time in jail, and admission into intensive care.
Jackson was transported to Cross Creek on April 21, two days after his arrest for public intoxication. In body camera video, Jackson is seen walking into the hospital. He screams “I’m not in custody. I don’t want to be here. Let me go."
When deputies left Jackson at 2:10pm on April 21, body cameras show he was walking into the facility with staff. The 911 call was made at 5:56pm the same day. Jackson arrived at St David Medical Center in Austin at 6:03pm that night, according to EMS records.
When deputies brought Jackson to Cross Creek, they were asked if Jackson was concussed and cooperative. The day before his transfer to the psychiatric hospital, April 20, Jackson was seemingly thrown to the ground in the Burleson County Jail by a Caldwell Police officer.
In body camera video of the incident, a Caldwell PD officer lets go of Jackson’s arm, causing him to fall to the floor. Jackson remains on the floor yelling up to the officers. Then, a different Caldwell officer comes from around the corner of the jail cell door and forcefully pushes Jackson against the wall, where he hits his head on the metal toilet.
An officer then says to Jackson, “you fell.”
An unnamed Caldwell Police officer was placed on administrative leave as a result of an investigation into the Chester Jackson case. Police officers are typically placed on leave during internal affairs investigations and this does not necessarily imply guilt.
KAGS has reached out to the Caldwell Police Department and the Burleson County Sheriff's Office to confirm the officer's status and ask for comment on the video. We have not yet heard back. The Texas Rangers are investigating the incident.