Rashaad Muhammad told reporters Wednesday outside the Fulton County Jail that he remains traumatized by what he described as severe medical neglect while he was detained there, and that he now uses a wheelchair after fingers and lower legs were amputated. He said that when his condition deteriorated, he was taken to a hospital where doctors told him the amputations were necessary to save his life.
Muhammad, whose attorneys said he had a chronic bladder condition that makes him susceptible to infection, said he has to manage the condition with a catheter and by carrying necessary antibiotics and other medical supplies. His lawyers said he told jail medical staff repeatedly that he needed antibiotics and supplies, but that those were not provided.
Attorney Liza Park said Muhammad was arrested after being involved in a shooting on Aug. 11 and calling 911. Park said police, after arriving, ended up arresting him on aggravated assault and gun possession charges, based on online jail records, and that Muhammad told police as he was being arrested that he needed antibiotics and medical supplies that were in his car.
Park said Muhammad was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital for a check before being returned to the jail, where he again told medical staff he needed antibiotics and other supplies. She said his condition worsened, and that other prisoners also pleaded with jail and medical staff to help him.
Muhammad said the meeting he had with Sheriff Pat Labat was “productive but it’s not enough.” Crump, who is representing Muhammad, said he and the legal team were gathering details and exploring “every possible legal remedy” to seek justice and to hold those responsible accountable for what happened, according to his remarks after the meeting.
Crump said that Wednesday’s meeting came as the Fulton County Jail continues to face major scrutiny. He pointed to the jail’s longstanding problems that led the U.S. Department of Justice to initiate a civil rights investigation into jail conditions in July 2023, and to DOJ findings that prisoners were held in filthy and unsafe conditions that violated constitutional rights.
The Justice Department and county officials announced in January 2025 that they had entered into a court-enforceable consent decree, with an independent monitor visiting county jails and documenting issues and progress on improvements. Crump said the Fulton County Board of Commissioners bears a “huge part of the blame” because, he said, commissioners were aware of the problems but failed to act.
Crump also faulted the jail’s medical provider, NaphCare, saying that employees, along with jail guards, ignored Muhammad’s pleas for help. He cited an earlier case involving Lashawn Thompson, saying Thompson died in a bedbug-infested cell in September 2022, and that NaphCare should not still be providing medical services at the jail.
In an emailed statement, NaphCare said it is “saddened” by what Muhammad experienced but that it stands behind the treatment provided. The company said the case “involved a medically complex patient” and that it believes its staff “acted appropriately and did everything within our power to provide care and support under difficult circumstances.”
The sheriff’s office said it could not comment on Muhammad’s medical condition or specific treatment due to privacy laws, but it said that during his time at the jail, “he was under the medical care of NaphCare.” A county spokesperson declined to comment.