Tragedy struck the San Pedro police station's cell block this weekend when a 30-year-old Eric Guitterez took his own life while in custody.
Guitterez had been arrested and charged at around 3:05am on Sunday morning for causing harm to his ex-common law wife who had made a report against him. Less than 90 minutes later, he was found dead.
Tonight, his death is raising questions about the duty of care owed to him by the police department and whether they failed in that duty. Here's more on the circumstances behind Guitterez's death in custody from ASP Fitzroy Yearwood.
ASP Fitzroy Yearwood, Communications Officer
"Sometime around 3:25 the diarist on duty at the San Pedro Police station heard other prisoners screaming for help, when he went to the cellblock area he saw a male prisoner that was detained around 3:08 who was then Identified as Eric Guitterez 30 year old, um, hanging from a white, what appeared to be a white T-Shirt, it was tied around his neck and affixed to the Metallic area above the cell block door of the cell block area. He was immediately taken down and they tried to how to say bring him back but it was too late, we know that, um, Guitterez was transported to the San Pedro polyclinic where he was pronounced dead by a medical officer."
Cherisse Halsall:
"Sir did your officers fail in their duty of care to this gentleman?"
ASP Fitzroy Yearwood, Communications Officer
"I wouldn't be so quick to say that, this person was detained sometime around 3:08 and we don't normally take away the T-shirt that you are wearing from you. We would take away your belt, laces, and so forth. He was placed in a cell with another prisoner and that prisoner was the one that alerted the officers. This is within a span of 10 minutes. Normally or ordinarily our officers would check on prisoners every 30 minutes, um, like I said he was detained for harm from a report that was made by his ex-common law. Suicide is something very difficult to stop because if that person's mind is made up it's made up. Our officer did the right thing by responding immediately when he heard the screams from other prisoners and, um, like I said they tried their best to see what they could have done to save his life but it was too late."
Yearwood added that upon an arrest the department's policy is to remove all elements from detained persons that they could use to inflict self harm. He was a regular prescient in the police holding cell, we are told.
