BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The New York Attorney General's Office is launching an investigation into the death of inmate at the Erie County Holding Center in August 2023.
According to the Office of Special Investigation, the inmate appeared to have a seizure on August 8 while in custody at the jail. The preliminary facts shared by investigators state the inmate became physically combative while receiving assistance from members of the Erie County Sheriff's Office.
Investigators say deputies held the inmate in a prone position to be handcuffed but he eventually stopped responding. The inmate was then taken to the hospital and died a week later, on August 15.
The family has identified the man who was killed as 52-year-old Shaun Humphrey. 7 News spoke with his daughter Ashley Isaac and her attorney on Thursday.
The attorney tells 7 News the medical examiner's office is ruling Humphrey's death a homicide and his death certificate lists "asphyxia due to a prone position with compression of torso."
Isaac told 7 News she was told her dad was put into his cell at 9:15 p.m. on August 7 and on August 8 at 12:30 p.m. he went into cardiac arrest and was taken to Buffalo General Medical Center.
When she finally got to see him 24 hours later, she said he was on life support in a medically induced coma.
Isaac told 7 News that she believes she was lied to for the last six months and she wants people to know her father was more than just an inmate.
The Erie County Sheriff's Office released the following statement on the investigation:
“The Erie County Sheriff’s Office and the New York State Attorney General’s Office have been engaged in a joint investigation into the death of an incarcerated individual that occurred on 08/15/23. New York State Executive Law Section 70-b requires that the New York State Attorney General’s Office investigates certain in-custody deaths. Due to the ongoing nature of this inquiry, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time."
The Office of Special Investigation looks into every reported incident involving an officer who may have caused a person's death.
The Erie County Sheriff's Office has been involved in multiple investigations and lawsuits over the past several years.
Just last year, Erie County was sued over an altercation caught on camera between corrections officers and an inmate. Multiple women also sued the sheriff's office claiming they were sexually abused while in custody.
