Man being held at Rikers died Sunday after guard says he appeared ‘unwell’

A man detained at the Rikers Island jail complex died early Sunday after being taken to the hospital, New York City Department of Correction officials said.

According to the DOC, at 2 a.m., a guard found the man looking “unwell” in his cell at the Otis Bantum Correctional Center. Medical staff and EMS workers provided aid to the unnamed man, before he was transported to Mount Sinai Queens Hospital, DOC officials said. There, he was pronounced deceased at 3:15 a.m, according to the DOC.

“The Department is mourning the tragic death of an individual in our custody. We extend our deepest condolences to his friends and family,” NYC Correction Commissioner Lynelle Maginley-Liddie. “The safety of everyone in our care is always our foremost concern, and we will fully investigate this tragedy.”