Says procedures were followed
SYRACUSE -- As the sheriff's department investigates the death of an inmate who died while being booked into the Justice Center, here's what Sheriff Kevin Walsh has to say.
"Looking at what we have seen, so far, the interviews with the deputies involved, the preliminary medical reports form the nurse on the scene, it appears all procedures were properly followed," Sheriff Walsh says.
31-year-old Raul Pinet Jr. died after loosing consciousness at the justice center Friday around 9PM
Walsh says Pinet Jr. arrived at the jail with Syracuse Police and officers asked the sheriff's emergency response team to help them remove Pinet Jr. from the van. He got out of the vehicle, started heading toward the booking area, and that's when Walsh says Pinet Jr. fell to the ground and started fighting with the officers.
"The officers applied the emergency restrain belts and carried him into the booking area and place him in the specialized rubberized room," Walsh says.
According to Walsh, while officers still restrained him, the nurse came him and checked him over and "saw he had some abrasions" and they backed out of the room once they took the restraints off. They still kept an eye on him and Pinet Jr. was "under observation." After four or five minutes, the observing officers noticed he wasn't moving. That's when Walsh says they went in cautiously, realized he was in trouble and the nurse came in and started CPR. The ambulance came and took Pinet Jr. to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Pinet's family members told our Caitlin Nuclo he was arrested in front of 305 Shonnard Street in Syracuse. A woman who lives there and considers him a friend says she called 911 for him Friday after he knocked on her door, saying he needed help.
