Jefferson County Jail Inmate Dies After Fight With Cellmate

BIRMINGHAM, AL - A fight inside a cell at the Jefferson County Jail Wednesday night turned fatal after one of the inmates was pronounced dead from injuries sustained in the fight. The deceased has been identified as 23-year-old Ledarius Jaquad Peterson, accused of murder in a 2017 slaying in Hoover.

David Agee of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said deputies were alerted to two inmates fighting in a cell at approximately 8:15 p.m Wednesday. Deputies responded and found one inmate was on top of the other assaulting him.

(For more updates on this story and free news alerts for your neighborhood, sign up for your local Patch morning newsletter.)

Agee said the deputies stopped the assault and removed one inmate from the cell, while the other inmate was left motionless on the floor. Deputies and the medical staff began efforts to revive the second inmate, who was then transported to the hospital, did not survive.

The death is being investigated by ALEA.