Dead on Arrival: Black Father Claims his Son was Killed in Custody of Edison Police

A man who says his son died while in the custody of township police has filed a lawsuit against the municipality. John Washington said he continues to seek justice for his son, who died a few hours after being arrested in the township in 2004. "I'm going to fight to the end," said Washington, who led a small protest rally in front of the Edison Police Department Friday morning. Washington, a resident of East Orange, filed a suit alleging negligence and wrongful death in Superior Court in Essex County on April 20. Washington's son, Ibn Rajahn Sampson, was arrested near Oakwood Plaza along with two other men on drug charges in April 2004. He was 19. At the time of the incident, authorities said it appeared Sampson ingested an unspecified amount of drugs and went into distress. He died at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital three hours later. "He was arrested for a bag of weed, and three hours later he's dead," said Washington's attorney, Steven F. Roth of Springfield. "The lethal amount of cocaine that he allegedly died from, he was never arrested for. And how did he get it into the holding cell?" Roth asked. Washington contends his son died while in the custody of Edison police. "At the hospital, they pulled me aside and said (Sampson) was dead when he got there," Washington said. "(Edison police) just let my son die." Edison police had no comment, citing the pending litigation. Washington and his wife, Carla Sampson, said they plan to hold a rally every year until justice is served. "They were dead wrong in how they handled this. They should've taken better care of this young man. Instead, they let him die," Washington said. Attorney Roth said "there are too many oddities surrounding the facts and circumstances of how this great kid died." [MORE]

• Teen death sparks protest against police [MORE]