NEWTOWN, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut’s medical examiner has ruled the death of a prison inmate who struggled with guards a homicide.
J’Allen Jones died in March at the Garner Correctional Institution in Newtown. Authorities said the 31-year-old Atlanta man was being transferred to a mental health unit when he became combative with staff, and then become non-responsive.
Chief Medical Officer Dr. James Gill told the Hartford Courant that Jones’ death resulted from “restraint with chest compression” and an adverse reaction to pepper spray.
Gill says the homicide finding does not necessarily mean a crime was committed.
A correction department spokeswoman says state police are continuing to investigate the incident, but added the agency stands by its initial assessment that officers did not appear to use excessive force.
Jones was serving a 10-year sentence for armed robbery.
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