Man found dead in lockups 24hrs before mental evaluation

The Suddie Police Station in Region 2

Steffon Smith 23 years Old of Vryman’s Erving, New Scheme, New Amsterdam was on Thursday found dead in the Suddie Police Station Lockups.

BIG Smith News Watch was informed that the young man who was charged and placed before the court for attempted murder and wounding with intent was slated to have a mental evaluation tomorrow Friday to ascertain if he was fit to stand trial for the offences. That evaluation was ordered by a judge.

We were informed that the man who was in a cell with two other prisoners reportedly tied a sheet around the grill window and hanged himself.

One police source indicated that based on how the lockups at the Station was built, there is one main door that leads to two separate lockups, the two lockups are without individual doors and prisoners can move from one cell to the other and be away from the eyes of others within either cell.

Earlier on Thursday, one of the three prisoners was taken out to attend court leaving Smith and a 19 year old Sophia resident in the lockups.

When a police approached the lockups to remove the 19 year old to have him profiled, the rank observed that Smith was not in sight and enquired where he was. At that point the 19 year old indicated that Smith was over in the other cell.

It turned out that when the police went to that section of the cell, Smith was found hanging, he then quickly raised an alarm. Smith reportedly worked as a miner.

BIG Smith News Watch was told that Smith who is not a prisoner for Region 2, but was only taken there earlier this week for court which he attended on Tuesday.

Police sources stated that the offences for which he is before the court, took place in 2016 at Kanawak Backdam, Potaro Region 8 which falls within the Essequibo Magisterial District. An internal investigation has been launched into the matter.