Images showing extreme discoloration on Rashaad Muhammad’s limbs illustrate a disturbing story of what the former Fulton County inmate says he endured before his legs and fingers were amputated due to sepsis in his body.
Muhammad says pleas for antibiotics in his vehicle were ignored by an arresting officer when he was taken into custody while wearing a catheter on Aug. 11, 2025. He said his pleas continued for 11 days in jail, including on the medical floor.
During public comment at the May 6 Fulton County Board of Commissioners meeting, Muhammad said it was not until after he collapsed on the jail floor and nearby inmates advocated on his behalf that he was transported to Grady Hospital.
“That’s when they told me that I needed a procedure, and I went into septic shock,” Muhammad said. “I asked for my medicine, and this happened at Fulton County jail. We need some accountability.”
On Tuesday, civil rights attorney Ben Crump continued to call for accountability on behalf of Muhammad, alleging his client was failed by the jail system. Crump commented on social media in response to a press statement released by Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat.
Muhammad’s attorneys are seeking a detailed independent review of what took place. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has launched an investigation into what happened to Muhammad.
Labat indicated that the GBI investigation is at the request of the Sheriff’s Department.
In a May 8 statement, he added: “If failures occurred within our system, they will be addressed. We are already reviewing medical procedures, inmate welfare protocols, staffing coordination, and emergency response processes to ensure every person in our custody receives appropriate care and attention.”
The Rice Street jail, where Muhammad was taken, is currently under a federal consent decree citing inhumane conditions, including failure to protect inmates from violence and inadequate medical and mental health care.
In 2024, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported more than 60 deaths at the jail between 2009 and fall 2022, and 10 deaths of inmates in custody in 2023. Five died in custody last year according the AJC.
Last August, the Fulton board of commissioners approved a $1.1 billion plan to overhaul its jail system.
“Our responsibility is to protect public safety while ensuring constitutional and humane treatment for every individual in our custody,” Labat said in his recent press release.
During the board of commissioners meeting, Atlanta attorney Eric Hertz, who is representing Muhammad alongside Crump, reminded the officials that the county is responsible for the inmates’ lives when they come through the door.
“The question is not whether Rashaad was an inmate; the question is was he a human being in Fulton County care,” Hertz said. “He went into custody with his legs and fingers and came out with neither.”
Muhammad was in Fulton custody until February of this year, and charges against him have been dropped. Labat told ABC News that most of that time was spent at Grady Hospital.
According to the ABC News story, Muhammad had been charged with two felony counts of aggravated assault and firearm possession after allegedly firing shots at someone. His attorneys have said that he acted in self-defense.
“He called 911 to try to say, ‘Somebody is shooting at me,’ and he gets arrested,” Crump told the press in April. “His hands gone, his legs gone, all because Fulton County jail had his custody and care completely in their discretion.”
Muhammad’s sister has started a GoFundMe fundraising campaign to help with the costs of prosthetic legs and fingers, as well as physical therapy and mental health services. Each prosthetic finger is $15,000, Shawnte Muhammad stated in the post.
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