The Department of Justice is investigating the death of a federal inmate Wednesday after he was pepper sprayed in his jail cell.
U.S. Department of Justice Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz today issued the following statement: pic.twitter.com/eHigq3Cczn
— Justice OIG (@JusticeOIG) June 4, 2020
Police said that officers pepper sprayed Jamel Floyd after he barricaded himself in his cell at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, according to ABC News. Floyd, a 35-year-old black man, allegedly broke a cell door with a metal object. (RELATED: Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison Adds Charges For 3 Other Officers In George Floyd Case)
“He became increasingly disruptive and potentially harmful to himself and others,” the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center said in a statement obtained by ABC News, “Pepper spray was deployed and Floyd was removed from his cell.”
The Brooklyn MDC also said that jail medical staff found Floyd unresponsive, per ABC News. They then called for an ambulance and began life-saving procedures. Floyd was pronounced dead at the hospital.
The Department of Justice released a statement saying that it is investigating the incident and the FBI and U.S. Marshal’s Service have also been notified, said ABC News. Floyd was serving a 12 to 15 year sentence for his part in a violent home invasion on Long Island in 2007.
In an interview with the Daily News, Floyd’s mother said that officers knew of Floyd’s health conditions and decided to pepper spray him anyway. “They maced my son,” she said. “They murdered my son.” Jamel Floyd was asthmatic. His cousin, Tomika Mays, told the Daily News that he had only 120 days left on his sentence.