WASHINGTON — A D.C. inmate died in jail Wednesday afternoon, sparking an investigation into what happened.
Officials say just before 3 p.m. security personnel with the Department of Corrections (DOC) found Roy Tatum, 47, of Washington, D.C., unresponsive in his Central Detention Facility cell. Life-saving measures were performed by staff and medical personnel, but he was pronounced dead at around 3:40 p.m.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is working to determine the cause and manner of death. The incident is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and of the DOC Office of Investigative Affairs.
Tatum was previously released from incarceration under the D.C. Incarceration Reduction Amendment Act (IRAA) after serving over 25 years following previous first-degree murder convictions. Less than a year after being released, MPD executed a warrant in an unrelated homicide case and arrested Tatum for possession of firearms, ammunition, and drugs.
He was set for a sentencing hearing in March.
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