A 25-year-old homeless man is believed to have committed suicide at the Rikers Island prison complex in New York City on Saturday night, according to people familiar with the case.
The man, Dashawn Carter, was found hanging from a window in his cell at the Anna M. Kross Center just two days after being transferred back to Rikers from a state psychiatric hospital, according to a person with knowledge of the circumstances surrounding his death. .
Carter is the fourth person to have died in custody there this year, at a time when corrections officers are coming under increasing pressure to show they can keep inmates safe at the infamous East River prison complex.
Louis A. Molina, the recently appointed commissioner of the New York City Correction Department, has less than two weeks to present a plan to deal with the crisis at Rikers or risk a federal prison takeover.
when mr. Carter was returned to Rikers on Thursday, prison mental health officials authorized his detention in a common residential area known as Quad Upper 12, according to the person familiar with his case.
Mr. Carter was later found around 5 p.m. Saturday in a partially seated position by his bed, said Joseph Russo, the chairman of the union that represents deputy guards and assistant deputy guards. Mr Russo said there was an officer on the floor in the residential area who called for medical attention.
Jeanette Merrill, a spokeswoman for Correctional Health Services, which provides health care in the city’s prisons, declined to comment on Mr. Carter’s case, saying the health care provider “cannot share patient health information due to health privacy laws.”
Correction officials said the death of Mr. Carter was under investigation.
Mr Carter had been taken into custody after being charged with first-degree theft and third-degree burglary, officials said.
“Any death in custody is a tragic event and a great loss,” Commissioner Molina said in a statement on Sunday. “We are truly heartbroken for this person’s family and loved ones and would like to express our deepest condolences. As with all deaths in custody, we will work with our partner agencies for an immediate and full investigation.”