SAN DIEGO — No more deaths.
That's the word from activists and family members on Thursday to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.
On Thursday, the Racial Justice Coalition of San Diego and the North County Equity and Justice Coalition announced they are joining a class action lawsuit against the department saying, they're putting their anger into action.
Emotions ran high as family members recounted their loved one's final days of life while in custody.
Sabrina Weddle is Saxon Rodriguez's big sister. Saxon died in custody in San Diego County Jail in 2021, one day before his court date.
"I'm f*cking mad! I want answers! I'm not the only family up here either! He died July 20th in San Diego County Jail off Fentanyl," said Sabrina Weddle. "I still don't have no damn answers! I hurt every day. I have to pray that my Black son does not fit the description (to law enforcement pursuing a suspect) because he won't get his day to prove his innocence,"
Yusef Miller with The North County Equity and Justice Coalition said there were 18 in custody deaths in San Diego County jails in 2021. So far this year, Miller says there are already 10 in custody deaths.
"Most of these people died before they even had their day in court, so they were not guilty yet and they lost their lives in custody. We have people dying from overdose," said Miller. "We have people dying from neglect. We have people dying from medical conditions. We have people dying from so many avoidable issues,"
Sabrina and Yusef were joined by other families who lost a loved one in custody in San Diego County Jails.
Tammy Wilson, Omar Moreno Arroyo's wife, says he died in custody January 7th, 2021.
"He was a beautiful person. He was only 33-years-old,” said Wilson.
Tammy shared with CBS 8 that Omar was having a mental health crisis when she called for help.
“I was always taught that you call the police for help. So, I called 9-1-1 and instead of an ambulance coming, three deputies showed up to my door,' said Wilson. "They immediately arrested him, put him in cuffs and made up a charge that he was drunk in public, which he was not. Less than 12 hours later, he was dead."
Deana Serna is Elisa Serna’s sister. Elisa died in custody in November of 2019.
"The seven days that she was in custody, she was begging for medical attention," said Serna. "She was passing out and having seizures, vomiting,”
A nurse has been charged with manslaughter in Elisa Serna’s death.
Serna says the next court date is set for August 30th in the case against the nurse who is being held responsible for her sister’s death.
Activists at the press conference say more needs to be held accountable.
“We're hoping that this will open opportunities for other families to get justice as well," said Serna.
Sabrina Weddle shared a blanket made of pictures of her with Saxon throughout their lives together as siblings.
"These are pictures of me and Saxon. Saxon was my first best friend. This is all I got left...of me and my brother is pictures and memories," said Weddle. "I miss him so much. I'm not going to give up at all. I want them to know that these people are humans. They didn't deserve to die in a jail."
CBS 8 reached out to San Diego County Sheriff's Department for comment on this story. They responded with the following statement:
“We will respectfully decline at this time due to pending litigation.”
WATCH RELATED: San Diego County Sheriff's Dept. implements mandatory overtime to address staffing shortages (June 2022)