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Rikers detainee was given Narcan before his death
By
Matt Katz
Published Jul 5, 2023
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JUSTIN LANE/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
By
Matt Katz
Published Jul 5, 2023
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The Rikers Island detainee who died on July 4 was provided the opioid-reversing drug Narcan four times before being taken to Elmhurst Hospital, where he died, documents show.
An internal Department of Correction notice, first reported by The Daily News and later provided by a source to Gothamist, shows that 40-year-old Felix Taveras was complaining of chest pains late Monday night. Just after midnight, medical staff then deemed him “unresponsive” and administered four doses of Narcan. Taveras was pronounced dead at 1:21 a.m.
Officers were suspended for procedural violations in connection with the incident, the Department of Correction announced Wednesday. But a spokesperson for the Department of Correction did not respond to questions about the reasons behind the suspension.
The medical examiner’s office has not yet determined a cause of death. Four people died of drug overdoses in city jails last year.
Taveras is the fourth person to die this year while being held in city custody. The federal monitor who oversees Rikers has previously alleged that correction officials were withholding accurate information about two of the deaths, including a detainee who died of a fractured skull.
Tagged
new york city
Rikers Island
public safety
Matt Katz
Matt Katz is a former WNYC & Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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