The families of Nelson Watkins and Kimbella (Raheem) Kimbell have accused the Gulfport Police Department and the Harrison County Adult Detention Center of severe human-rights violations and abuse. Both families are left with many unanswered questions involving police treatment of their children.
The death of 20-year-old Gulfport resident Kimbella, a Black trans woman, shook the Gulf Coast community. I received a Facebook live video feed on Sept. 6, 2022, of Gulfport police officers tasing Kimbella inside Singing River Hospital.
Kimbella (Raheem) Kimbell died in solitary confinement at the Harrison County Adult Detention Center on Aug. 17, 2022. Photo by Tijuana Kimbell / Facebook
Kimbella was suffering from COVID-19-related symptoms and needed medical treatment. She allegedly became combative, causing law enforcement to intervene. The video shows Kimbella fighting off three to four officers as they tase her several times before placing her in the prone position with their knees on her back and chest area. Kimbella is heard on the video pleading with law enforcement officers, saying, “I can’t f— breathe.”
Tijuana Kimbell, Kimbella’s mother, stated that Gulfport police took her daughter to the Harrison County Detention Center and placed her in the male population. Detention officials said Kimbella and a male inmate then got into a fight, leaving Kimbella with severe injuries and leading correctional officers to place her in solitary confinement. Kimbella was found dead hours later.
Tijuana Kimbell and her family held a peaceful protest at Singing River Hospital For Kimbella Kimbell in Gulfport, Miss., on Sept. 15, 2022. The family hopes to bring awareness to what they call brutal treatment from Gulfport Police Department officers before Kimbella’s time at the Harrison County Adult Detention Center. Photo by Tijuana Kimbell / Facebook
Kimbell and her family held a peaceful protest at Singing River Hospital For Kimbella in Gulfport on Sept. 15, 2022. The family hopes to bring awareness to what they call brutal treatment by Gulfport police officers before Kimbella’s time at the Harrison County Adult Detention Center. I witnessed the pain and anguish on the faces of grieving family members as they mourned her loss. I reached