Family sues Hennepin Co. Jail over Lucas Bellamy's death, saying he "begged for medical care"
MINNEAPOLIS — The family of a man who died in the Hennepin County Jail has filed a federal lawsuit alleging the jail is responsible for his "horrific" and wrongful death.
The suit alleges that Lucas Bellamy was "forced to crawl on his hands and knees as he begged for medical care." He died in the Hennepin County Jail in July of 2022 from a perforated bowel.
The lawsuit says that Bellamy died in agonizing pain after suffering for several days, as Hennepin County guards and medical staff ignored his repeated pleas for help.
"This is more than negligence. It's indifference," attorney Jeff Storms said. "This is knowing a man is suffering terribly from serious medical needs and doing nothing, nothing to treat these serious medical needs."
The victim's father, Penumbra Theatre founder Lou Bellamy, and other family members recounted Lucas' final moments at a press conference Tuesday morning.
"I'm haunted by these images," Lucas' mother Colleen Bellamy said. "I always will be, our family always will be. But I'm never going to stop fighting for him."
They said Lucas always wanted to make people laugh, was whip-smart and should have had a bright future. They say he also struggled heavily with addiction.
"I've made my living as a theater director. I know how to construct tragedy on stage. And I can tell you honestly that I could not have built anything more callous, more disrespectful to humanity, human existence, than what I witnessed on that tape," Lou Bellamy said. "It can't go unanswered, those people who chose to disregard his pleas for help."
During the press conference, Storms presented surveillance video showing Lucas Bellamy doubled over in evident pain, and crawling on his hands and knees in full view of guards and medical staffers. The video presented shows him being examined the evening of July 20, before ultimately dying early the following afternoon.
The lawsuit claims that since 2015, more detainees have died at the Hennepin County Jail than any other detention center in Minnesota.
"We hope as a family by raising awareness on how my brother died that we can prevent the abuse and willful neglect that Lucas suffered," Lucas' sister Sarah said.
Don Shea Perry also stood by the Bellamys and their attorneys. She founded the non-profit Be Their Voices after he son also died in custody in 2018.
"He should be here. Lucas Bellamy should be here," Perry said.
WCCO has reached out to Hennepin County representatives for comment, and they responded: "While we cannot comment on pending litigation our sympathy is with the Bellamy family."
WCCO has also reached out to Hennepin Healthcare, who provided the following statement:
"We do not comment on ongoing or pending litigation, and as a healthcare organization committed to serving our community, we join with others in sending our condolences to the family for the loss of their son."
