Brooklyn Inmate Jamel Floyd Dies After Being Pepper-Sprayed by Correctional Officers Inside His Cell
An inmate at a prison in the Brooklyn area of New York has died after he was pepper-sprayed by staff.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, officers at the Metropolitan Detention Center responded to an incident involving inmate Jamel Floyd at around 10 a.m. on June 2.
Floyd, 35, had barricaded himself inside his cell and was breaking his cell window with a metal object. Floyd is said to have become "increasingly disruptive" and had the potential to harm himself and others.
Pepper spray was then deployed against the inmate while staff removed him from the cell.
Medical staff were called to assess Floyd. He was found unresponsive and medical personnel worked to save his life.
Emergency Medical Services were also called and the life-saving procedures continued. Floyd was then taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
An investigation into the 35-year-old's death is underway and the FBI and U.S. Marshal Services have been notified.
The Bureau of Prisons said there is no indication that Floyd's death was connected to COVID-19.
New York rep. Jerry Nadler said the report of Floyd's death is "horrifying."
"BOP must secure all evidence and videos and we will be demanding an immediate and thorough investigation," he tweeted.
In a joint statement, advocacy groups The Release Aging People in Prison Campaign, the Parole Preparation Project, the HALT solitary Campaign and the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club said they are "outraged" over George Floyd's death.
The incident arrives as police and protesters clash amid the demonstrations against police brutality following the death of George Floyd.
There has been mass outrage over the death of the black man while being arrested by Minneapolis Police. Footage of George Floyd's arrest shows white officer Derek Chauvin with his knee on his neck for several minutes while the 46-year-old cries "I can't breathe."
"While police maliciously use pepper spray to suppress nationwide protest for black people's safety and freedom in the streets, jail guards reportedly used it against Jamal Floyd in what amounted to a deadly use of force," the statement said.
"Racist state violence occurs daily in local jails and state prisons, just as it does in federal facilities. Lawmakers cannot respond to centuries of injustice and the ongoing mass uprising with empty gestures when they return to Albany next week."
Floyd had been detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center since October. The facility holds 1,590 male and female inmates.
The Bureau of Prisons has been contacted for further comment.
