NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A Rikers Island detainee became the 10th person to die in custody Sunday night, leading to the firing of a Department of Correction officer.
The inmate, 31-year-old Elijah Muhammad, was pronounced dead at the George R. Vierno Center at around 10:30 p.m., the DOC said Monday.
Muhammad, a Kentucky native, died of a suspected overdose while being held on charges from a June 8 arrest for alleged felony assault, sources told the New York Post. He was reportedly due in court on Monday.
"It is heartbreaking when someone dies while in custody," said DOC Commissioner Louis A. Molina. "We treat every death with the utmost seriousness and understand that it is our mandate to keep every person entrusted to our care safe."
Molina said that a "preliminary review of this incident required" the DOC to "take immediate action against the staff involved, and an officer was terminated."
He said the incident was referred to the Department of Investigation "immediately."
"Our hearts go out to the deceased’s family and friends," Molina concluded.
All deaths in custody are first investigated by the State Attorney General’s Office and the DOC, officials said.
Muhammad's cause of death will be determined by the city's Medical Examiner's office.
Two men's medical emergencies also happened in the same facility on Rikers Island overnight, and sources told the Post earlier that officials are seeking to conclude if fentanyl was a factor in them.
At least four detainees have died from apparent overdoses so far this year, and a third died by suicide.
While the department is calling Muhammad's death the ninth in their custody this year, the Daily News reported a man died on June 15, eight days after he hanged himself at the Bronx Criminal Court holding area.
His death was reportedly not counted as in custody because he was granted "compassionate release" on his deathbed.
According to the Post, the number of deaths in DOC custody will likely surpass the 16 recorded last year.
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