Man dies in police custody after Kensington narcotics arrest, drug paraphernalia found in cell
Kensington Voice, 12/13/24: “A 41-year-old man has died in police custody at a detention facility on 400 N. Broad St. after being arrested for narcotics possession in Kensington, city officials confirmed Friday.
The man, whose name is being withheld pending family notification, was arrested Wednesday morning on the 200 block of E. Tusculum Street and transported to police headquarters later that day, Philadelphia Police Department spokesperson Eric Gripp wrote in an email.
The man was found unresponsive in his cell at the Police Detention Unit (PDU) on Thursday at 8:47 p.m., according to a police alert sent through the city’s employee notification system. Medics pronounced him dead at 9:26 p.m.
Drug paraphernalia was found near his body, the alert stated, adding that there were no signs of trauma or notes in the cell.
The city medical examiner is working to determine the cause of death, Philadelphia Department of Public Health spokesperson Jim Kyle said in an email.
Gripp declined to comment on any medical attention the man ‘may have received’ while in custody but noted that, as part of the intake process, ‘there is a nurse available at the PDU 24/7, and all prisoners receive a medical assessment upon intake.’ Corrections officers conduct cell-block checks every 15 minutes to monitor prisoners’ well-being, he said.”