Nine Georgia Deputies Fired After 22-Year-Old's Death

Nine Georgia deputies have been fired following the death of a 22-year-old in an isolation cell in January, reports NBC News .

Mathew Ajibade was handcuffed to a restraint chair on New Year's Day after he allegedly hit his girlfriend and broke a deputy's nose while in the midst of a bipolar episode. His family alleges police used a Taser on Ajibade while he was restrained in the chair, and then left him there unattended.

After his death, two deputies were suspended without pay pending the results of an investigation, Chatham County Sheriff Al St. Lawrence said in a statement Wednesday.

"Additionally, I have instituted numerous policy changes. Those changes include safeguards for those reported to suffer from a mental health illness as well as security cross checks," he said.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said in a statement in January that Ajibade started fighting with deputies once he got to the Chatham County Detention Center. "Force was used to restrain Ajibade. Deputies were injured during the altercation. Ajibade was confined to a restraint chair and, subsequently, found unresponsive by deputies," it said.