Two Rikers detainees die after DOC restructuring

A 40-year-old detainee died Tuesday morning at Rikers Island, marking the second death in city jail custody in less than 24 hours and renewing scrutiny over conditions inside the city’s jail system.

The detainee, identified by the Department of Correction as Umais Khan, was found unresponsive in his bed shortly before 11 a.m., according to department officials. Correction staff performed CPR until EMS personnel arrived, but Khan was pronounced dead at 11:21 a.m.

The cause of death has not yet been determined.

Khan had been jailed since May 5 and was awaiting trial on robbery and narcotics-related charges, according to court records.

Rikers death total reaches four this year

His death came less than a day after 41-year-old Rajpattie Ramkellawan died following what the DOC described as a medical emergency at the Rose M. Singer Center, bringing the number of people who have died in or shortly after leaving city jail custody this year to at least four.

The back-to-back deaths come as federal monitors continue to accost the department for failures in supervision, emergency response and medical care, and as Mayor Zohran Mamdani has pledged to improve conditions in city jails while pushing to close Rikers Island.

At the time of Khan’s death, Correction Commissioner Stanley Richards and federal jail remediation manager Nicholas Deml were in Germany touring correctional facilities. Margaret Egan, the former executive director of the Board of Correction, was serving as acting commissioner during Richards’ absence.

“I am absolutely devastated that we have lost someone in our care and this tragedy is felt by every member of service,” Richards said in a statement. “On behalf of myself and the Department, I share my deepest condolences with his loved ones. This incident will be investigated.”

Mamdani said in a statement posted to social media that he was “devastated to learn of the death of a person in City custody this morning.”

“My heart is with their loved ones and everyone impacted by this unimaginable loss,” the mayor said. “The Department of Correction and our oversight partners have begun investigating the circumstances surrounding this death.”

“Our administration remains firmly committed to the urgent and essential work of creating better conditions in our city’s jail system and closing Rikers Island as quickly as possible,” he added.

City Council Member Selena Brooks-Powers, chair of the Council’s criminal justice committee, called the deaths “alarming and unacceptable” and urged a “swift, thorough investigation” into the incidents. 

Deaths follow DOC restructuring

The deaths come as the DOC s undergoing a major restructuring tied to the federal oversight of Rikers Island. According to a recent court filing, the department plans to create a centralized investigations division that will operate under the authority of Deml, while sharing oversight with Richards.

The proposed reorganization would also broaden Deml’s role beyond internal investigations, giving the federally appointed official increased authority over officer deployment, operational reforms and policy implementation inside the jail system. Deml and Richards would additionally share responsibility of key administrative functions, including finances, labor relations and legal affairs.

There have now been four deaths of Rikers detainees this year, following those of Barry Cozart, who died at the George R. Vierno Center in March, and John Price,  who died days after being transferred from Rikers to Elmhurst Hospital. The causes of death for both of whom, according to the department, have not yet been determined.

Fifteen people died in or shortly after leaving city jail custody last year, according to department records.