SAN ANTONIO – On Tuesday, 61-year-old Darryl Valadez died while in police custody, raising serious questions about the circumstances surrounding his death.
Valadez was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated just before 6 p.m. on Monday and was pronounced dead shortly after 3 a.m. the following day. His cause of death remains pending.
Valadez was being transferred to the custody of the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office at the Justice Intake and Assessment Annex when he suffered a medical episode. He was taken to the hospital by EMS, where he later died before being formally booked into jail. The entire incident spanned more than nine hours, and it is unclear where Valadez was held during that time.
Krish Gundu, co-founder of the Texas Jail Project, expressed concern over the lack of medical attention provided to Valadez before his transfer for booking.
“The fact that he passed within hours of being arrested and brought into the jail, where it seems like the booking process may not have been completed, that brings up a whole bunch of other questions,” Gundu said.
Gundu questioned whether Valadez should have been taken directly to the hospital.
“What were those immediate steps that were taken when law enforcement first had that interaction with him?” she asked.
Gundu emphasized the need for transparency in cases like this, noting some improvement after recent legislative changes.
“The Texas Commission on Jail Standards now weekly, they post this information on their website. On the front page of their website they have a list of the deaths that happen, which date, which county and which is the independent law enforcement agency that has been appointed to investigate that death,” she said.
The investigation is now in the hands of the San Antonio Police Department.
Authorities have been contacted with questions regarding Valadez’s arrest, transport, and death, as well as why he was not taken directly to medical care. A response is still pending.