On November 13th, at the Wainwright Unit, an inmate took possession of the food tray slot in his cell. The inmate refused all orders to comply, authorization for chemical agent usage was given and a force cell extraction team was requested.

After de-escalation measures were taken but unsuccessful, chemical agents were utilized. The team, including Correctional Officer Motley, entered the cell. After several minutes of the inmate fighting the cell extraction team, members identified that Officer Motley was injured. The inmate was subdued and removed from the cell. Officer Motley was removed from the cell and was unresponsive. Life-saving measures were performed but were unsuccessful. Officer Motley was pronounced deceased at the institution.

Correctional Officer Jovian Motley served the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for just over 1 year.