A man incarcerated in the Houston Police Department jail apparently committed suicide by hanging himself. The in-jail suicide is the second in Texas in about as many weeks and comes on the heels of the suicide by hanging of Sandra Bland.
The hanging victim, Hung Do, aged 38, apparently killed himself in his jail cell by using his pants as a rope. The incident happened while his two cellmates went on a lunch break, according to a statement by the Houston Police Department (HPD) obtained by Breitbart Texas.
The cellmates found his body when they returned to their cell after lunch. Jailers and emergency medical personnel could not revive Do.
He had been arrested about 12 hours earlier on charges of possession of a controlled substance. He cleared a mental and physical health screening performed by the Houston Health Department during his intake process. During a press conference, HPD spokesman Kese Smith told reporters that Do was then placed in general population in the jail.
When the lunch break came he was taken from his cell along with his two cellmates, according to Smith. A prisoner related that Do appeared to be highly agitated after attempting to make a phone call.
“He became very agitated when whoever he was trying to call did not answer,” Smith said, according to the Houston Chronicle. “He asked to go back to his cell.”
He was taken back to his jail cell by a jailer and locked in. When one of his cell mates returned from lunch, he found Do’s lifeless body.
The Chronicle reported this is the first suicide in the HPD jail since 2011. That death was also a hanging incident. Robert Gomez, aged 34, hung himself with his shirt after being arrested for public intoxication.
Do awaited transfer to the Harris County Sheriff’s Department’s jail. Officials stated that most inmates in the city jail either bond out, or transfer to the county facility within 24 hours. Do had been in jail for about 12 hours.
The HPD statement related that this death will be investigated by the HPD homicide division and HPD internal affairs. The Harris County district attorney’s office will also look into the matter.
Approximately two weeks ago, Sandra Bland hung herself using a plastic bag after being arrested following a confrontation with a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper. Her death has been ruled a suicide by the medical examiner. This incident took place in the Waller County Jail about 50 miles northwest of the Houston city jail.
Bob Price is a senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas and a member of the original Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.
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