Rikers Island of death: 17 inmates die in custody in 10 months

Erick Tavira, 28, is the 17th inmate to have died at George R. Vierno Center on Rikers Island, near New York, United States between January and October, 2022.

Island’s Correctional Department said on Saturday that Tavira is the 17th prisoner to have died in custody this year.

He died around 2:15am on Saturday. It is yet to be verified what led to his death but an autopsy is to be carried out to ascertain the cause of his death.

He was suspected to have died from an apparent suicide

Daily News reports that the state Attorney General and the city’s Department of Investigation would also be launching probes into his death.

DOC Commissioner Louis Molina, in a statement said “Our deepest condolences go out to Mr. Tavira’s family, friends and loved ones in their time of grief.

“We take the health and safety of everyone in our custody seriously, and we are conducting a preliminary investigation into this death.”‎

He was facing assault and strangulation charges and was ordered held on $20,000 bail, according to court records.

The last person to die in custody was Gregory Acevedo, 48, who climbed a fence and crawled through razor wire at the barge — formally called the Vernon C. Bain Center — before he jumped roughly 50 feet from the rooftop recreation yard on Sept. 20.