A fourth person has died in New York City custody in just over a week, raising new questions about the city's treatment of detainees and the conditions inside local jails. The latest death, identified as Turkish-born Musa Cetin, 29, occurred Friday in a Manhattan police precinct. Cetin was found unresponsive and later died at Bellevue Hospital, city officials report, per the New York Times. Authorities have yet to provide a reason for Cetin's arrest or further details on the case. According to a law enforcement official, police told the family that Cetin hanged himself, though some relatives and friends question the account. The incident is under review by the NYPD's force investigation division.
The other recent deaths include two men at Rikers Island—Jimmy Avila, 34, and Ardit Billa, 29—and another man, 46-year-old Christopher Nieves, who died in a Brooklyn courthouse cell. Billa, 29, held since February on allegations that he attacked his Bronx neighbor with a razor, was found unresponsive in his cell in the early hours of Aug. 23, per Corrections1. Avila, 34, died that afternoon, less than 24 hours after he was taken into custody following a deadly shooting in the Bronx, per WNYW. Nieves, arrested for stealing food from a Whole Foods, died around 10:15pm Friday after what police described as a medical episode, per News 12.
The Legal Aid Society, which represented Avila and Billa, has been particularly outspoken, arguing that the city is falling short in its duty to identify and address serious mental or medical issues among detainees. It counts at least 14 fatalities among city detainees so far this year and says the deaths indicate systemic failings. City officials maintain that all detainees are evaluated for medical or mental health concerns during intake. "The safety and well-being of every person in our custody is our top priority," said a City Hall spokeswoman, per the Times, adding that investigations into these deaths are ongoing.
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