The Texas Rangers are investigating the death of a former Denton County Jail inmate who tested positive for COVID-19.
Brandon Alexander Dominguez, 23, died at a hospital on Aug. 18 and after testing positive for the virus, the Denton County Sheriff's Office said.
According to the Denton County Sheriff's Office, Dominguez was taken to the hospital on Aug. 17 after becoming unresponsive with no apparent pulse and appearing to go into cardiac arrest. He tested positive for COVID-19 and was subsequently put on life support.
Dominguez had been treated for other medical issues twice before he was taken to the hospital on Tuesday, the Denton County Sheriff's Office said.
Get DFW local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC DFW newsletters.
Dominguez was released on Aug. 17 on a $2,500 personal recognizance bond so the hospital would allow his family to make all medical decisions regarding his care.
On Aug. 18, the family made the decision to take Dominguez off life support. He was pronounced dead 7:53 p.m.
Under the Sandra Bland Act, all custodial deaths must be investigated by an outside agency, the Denton County Sheriff's Office said, prompting the Texas Rangers and the Denton County Medical Examiner's Office to investigate Dominguez's death.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
Dominguez's death comes amid an outbreak of COVID-19 at the jail that is affecting inmates and staff.
According to a report by the Denton Record-Chronicle, two jail staffers died in the last week due to COVID-19. Detention Officer Joseph Rogers, an employee at the Sheriff's Office for 18 years, died on Friday. A chaplain at the jail also died due to COVID-19 on Tuesday morning.
The Denton Record-Chronicle reported that five other jail employees had tested positive for COVID-19 as of Tuesday.
Dominguez is the second Denton County Jail inmate to die from COVID-19, the Denton Record-Chronicle reported. Rodney Puente, 52, died on Oct. 18, 2020 after being in the hospital for 26 days.
