Inmate awaiting trial on murder, robbery charges dies in custody on Rikers Island

Herb Pinder

Published May 29, 2022

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Protesters gathered at New York City City Hall demanding to save people’s lives by letting people out of jails because of poor treatment at the City Jails on October 1, 2021

Ryan Rahman / Shutterstock

Herb Pinder

Published May 29, 2022

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Another person has died in custody on Rikers Island.

Twenty-year-old Emanuel Sullivan was discovered unresponsive on his bed Saturday and pronounced dead about 4:25 p.m., the Department of Correction announced in a statement. Sullivan was the sixth person to die in city custody this year and the 22nd since January a year ago.

Correction Department Commissioner Louis Molina said the cause of death has yet to be determined. All deaths in custody are investigated by the state Attorney General’s Office and the city Department of Investigation.

Earlier this month, a state judge found the Department of Correction in contempt of court, saying Rikers staff had failed to provide inmates with basic medical care. State Supreme Court Judge Elizabeth Taylor gave the city 30 days to show improvement.

The inmate housing area where Sullivan stayed had been staffed and tours made throughout the day Saturday, according to the commissioner.

“Mr. Sullivan’s passing fills our hearts with grief, as we understand everyone entrusted to our care is someone’s loved one," Molina said. "Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with his family and loved ones at this difficult time.”

Sullivan had been jailed since Feb. 8. He was awaiting trial on charges including second-degree murder and first-degree robbery, in the shooting death of Tamar Shaarawy during a home invasion in the Greenridge section of Staten Island in December.

Victor Pale, co-director of the #HALTsolitary Campaign, which advocates on behalf of incarcerated people, called news of Sullivan's death heartbreaking.

"We do not need more committees, more task forces, or more long overdue plans to address conditions," Pale said in a statement. He called on elected officials "to make decisions that will keep incarcerated people, and staff, alive, safe, and healthy."

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