A man who contracted the coronavirus died in a Washington, D.C., jail, according to the city’s Department of Corrections.
Deon Crowell, 51, was diagnosed with the coronavirus last Tuesday. He died in jail on Monday morning, where he has been held since June 2018, awaiting trial on charges of first-degree murder.
Crowell was one of 40 inmates who tested positive for the coronavirus, an outbreak that sparked a class-action lawsuit demanding the early release of some inmates and increased cleanings for the facility for those who would not be released. A judge has not made a final ruling on the situation, but the court did rule that the jail must undergo an inspection of its sanitization efforts.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser noted Crowell was isolated after he was diagnosed with COVID-19, and he had received medical attention throughout his illness. Bowser has released 36 inmates after distributing enough “good time” credits to allow for their exit from the jail.
The Democrat told Fox News Sunday she believes the coronavirus pandemic will not peak in the city until June.
D.C. had 1,875 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 50 related deaths as of Monday afternoon.
