SPARTA, Ga. — The death of Brianna Marie Grier was a tragedy but it wasn’t a crime, authorities say.

Grier fell out of a moving patrol car after her arrest in July and she later died from her injuries. 

That’s the conclusion of Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit District Attorney T. Wright Barksdale III after reviewing an extensive investigative report by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation into the death of the 29-year-old Hancock County woman.

“This was certainly a tragedy, but there’s no crime here,” Barksdale said. “The real tragedy here is how underfunded our local law enforcement agencies are and ill-equipped they are to handle the mental health crisis that’s touching every corner of this state and this country.”

Barksdale said when reviewing the GBI’s case file on the use of force by deputies in the Grier investigation, he didn’t see anything that stood out for him to present to a grand jury for consideration of indictments against the deputies.

“This case will not be presented to a grand jury because no crime was committed,” Barksdale said.

Barksdale’s judicial circuit includes eight counties in central Georgia, among them Hancock County, where Grier was arrested outside her parents’ home. 

“What happened was a tragedy, but it wasn’t a crime,” Barksdale said. 

He said the Georgia legislature needs to provide more funding for treatment and support so those struggling with mental illness aren’t languishing in county jails or putting the public or law enforcement officers at risk.

The problem is there are not enough places for the mentally ill in Georgia to get treatment, according to Barksdale. 

“And that is a very sad thing,” Barksdale said. “These people don’t need to be in county jails; they need to be in a facility somewhere receiving treatment.”

GBI officials say the case remains active and ongoing. Mary Chandler, special agent-in-charge of the GBI Region 6 Office in Milledgeville, Ga., said she anticipates the investigation concluding soon.

Grier, the mother of twin daughters, suffered from schizoaffective disorder and was bipolar.

“It’s an extreme tragedy what happened that night with Brianna Grier, but I can tell you I know one of those deputies very, very well and he would never hurt anyone in a million years,” Barksdale said.

Deputy Lt. Marlow Primus, the older brother of Hancock County Sheriff Terrell Primus and deputy Timothy Legette responded to the 911 call to the residence of Brianna Grier’s parents on July 15.

The GBI was called in to investigate the case.

The investigative report by the GBI confirms that Brianna’s mother, Mary Grier, called 911 on July 15 to report that her daughter was attempting to enter their residence. 

Grier wanted her to be with her daughters. The children are with their grandparents by order of a judge through the Georgia Department of Family and Children Services.

At protest rallies since Grier’s death, Marvin and Mary Grier have indicated they didn’t know their daughter would be arrested. They said they thought she was going to be taken to a medical facility where she could get help.

Marvin Grier said had he known his daughter was going to be arrested and taken to jail, he never would have agreed to it.

“She needed help; she didn’t need to be taken to jail,” Grier told reporters during a protest held in Sparta in the wake of his daughter’s death. 

A copy of the incident report is included as part of the GBI’s investigation.

Grier fell out of the unlocked passenger side rear door of Legette’s patrol car following her arrest at her parents’ home. She passed away days later at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta. She had been taken there by a medical helicopter team in critical condition with a severe head injury.

At the time of her arrest, she was charged with three offenses.

Before she was placed in the rear seat of the patrol car, Grier had refused to cooperate with deputies.

Deputies handcuffed her and secured her inside the patrol car. She was not seat belted.

The door, which is designed to open only from the outside on most patrol vehicles used by law enforcement agencies for transport, was not closed properly, the GBI investigation revealed.

A series of tests were conducted on the patrol car used to transport Grier from her parents’ home to the county jail. The tests concluded there was nothing mechanically wrong with the rear door.

The GBI concluded the door was left open by deputies. The door was opened by one of the deputies during Grier’s refusal to get into the patrol car as instructed by deputies.

Grier’s parents have retained the legal services of prominent civil rights Benjamin E. Crump.

Funeral services were held at a historic church in downtown Atlanta. The service was carried live by at least one Atlanta television station. Grier’s eulogy was delivered by the Rev. Al Sharpton.