A guard at the Baltimore City Detention Center opened a jail cell to allow a group of inmates to attack another in a gang-related dispute, according to the victim’s attorney and family.
A group of inmates stormed the cell of Davon Smith, 21, in the segregation unit of the Baltimore City Detention Center Oct. 28 and stabbed him more than 30 times, said his mother, Gwendolyn Domneys of Baltimore.
State officials confirmed a stabbing, and said Smith has been released from the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center after being treated for non-life threatening injuries.
“My son is in this facility in an isolated area and an officer opened the door to let someone in to take my son’s life,” Domneys said. “We’re paying a person to protect him and they open a gate to let someone come in and kill my child.”
The correctional officer who was involved has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation, said Rick Binetti, a spokesman for the Maryland Division of Parole and Probation, which operates the jail. The department’s internal affairs team as well as the Maryland State Police are investigating, he said.
Smith’s attorney, Richard Miller, said his client was serving time for violating his probation. Court records indicate Smith was sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to armed robbery in June. His mother said her son is in a gang and she said last week’s incident was likely gang-related.
Another inmate involved also suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was released from a local hospital, Binetti said.
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