IDABEL, Okla. — More than a year after Bobby Barrick died after an incident in McCurtain County, Tulsa-based attorney Mitchell Garrett has filed a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of his client and Bobby’s wife, Barbara Barrick.
Deputy body camera video obtained by the McCurtain Gazette shows the moments leading up to Barrick’s death.
He is seen in handcuffs, in the back of a patrol truck, repeatedly screaming that “they” are going to kill him.
The body camera shuts off after about two minutes.
Garrett says, according to 911 calls, an altercation inside a convenience store ensued that led to Barrick being hogtied by a group of contractors.
The lawsuit claims when officers arrived they used unreasonable force that resulted in his death.
Garrett believes McCurtain County investigators basically washed their hands of the case once he was airlifted to a Texas hospital.
“No investigation, OSBI never called, and that’s why we are standing here over a year later after his death,” said Garrett.
Garrett says because OSBI wasn’t called which is required by law, there is no medical examiner report.
He adds there was no investigation into who the contractors were who hogtied him.
“Barbara has never received a phone call from the sheriffs department or any investigator,” he said.
Barbara thanks the McCurtain Gazette for suing the Sheriff’s office to obtain the video and other information, and wants the public to remember Bobby as a good friend and step-dad.
“It has been very overwhelming these are the answers I’ve been waiting on, it’s been a very hard year,” she said.
“Local journalism is important and because of their tenacity we got information that allowed us to shed some light into what happened.”
2News spoke with the deputy who was wearing the body cam footage on that night. While he didn’t want to speak on camera due to the pending lawsuit, he says that Barrick was screaming that the construction workers were going to kill him, not the officers on scene.
He also says he did not turn his camera off, but it was accidentally turned off during the struggle to get Barrick under control.
The lawsuit is just the latest from McCurtain County over the course of one week that has resulted in the Governor and many others several officials calling on their resignation.
A recently published audio recording, also obtained by the McCurtain Gazette, has made headlines across the nation. Sheriff Kevin clardy, Jail Administrator Larry Hendrix, Investigator Alicia Manning and former County Commissioner Mark Jennings are allegedly heard making racist comments and plotting to kill the Gazette journalists.
The OSBI is investigating. Only Jennings has resigned.
A second public protest demanding more resignations is scheduled for Saturday in Idabel.
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