Two people in custody died and another was hospitalized in two separate incidents inside the D.C. jail on Friday and Sunday, and authorities are investigating whether they might have overdosed on drugs, according to a spokesperson for the city’s Department of Corrections.
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Officials said that they were waiting on autopsy reports to determine causes of death but that there were no signs of trauma or suicide in either incident. The spokesperson said officials believed that the incidents could be related to drug overdoses, based on “initial observation,” but did not provide more details. Jail officials administered the emergency overdose treatment Narcan to the man who was hospitalized, authorities said.
Ramone O’Neal, 28, died Friday, according to the Department of Corrections. Two days later, Sean Lee, 37, died, and his cellmate, 40-year-old Marcel Jackson, was hospitalized after a team administered Narcan and performed CPR on him inside the jail, according to authorities.
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Neither families nor attorneys for O’Neal and Jackson could be immediately reached. Lee’s attorney, Tom Baldwin, said he was “just devastated” by the news.
The deaths are the latest sign of trouble at the D.C. jail, which has faced intense scrutiny since the U.S. Marshals Service published a letter in November announcing plans to transfer about 400 people facing federal charges to a prison in Lewisburg, Pa., over allegations of their mistreatment. The letter, which followed complaints from defendants held after the Jan. 6, 2021, riot, described how those in custody lived in unsanitary conditions and were denied food and water.
The interim director of the Department of Corrections, Tom Faust, has conceded that officials have struggled to keep contraband out of the jail. At an oversight hearing in March, Faust said he was focused on creating a “safe, secure and humane” environment after a correctional officer was charged with smuggling narcotics, knives and other banned items into the facility. That case was investigated by the Department of Corrections, the U.S. attorney’s office and the FBI.
D.C. jail guard accused of smuggling narcotics, knives into facility
On Sunday, D.C. Council member Trayon White Sr. (D-Ward 8) spoke from outside the jail about concerns of mistreatment and inhumane conditions at the facility.
“Two deaths within three days,” said White, who is running for mayor. “Something is going on in here that we need to know about and make sure that we address so there won’t be more deaths.”