SACRAMENTO – The Sacramento County Main Jail was placed on lockdown Wednesday night after an inmate was found unresponsive and later pronounced dead following a reported altercation with his cellmate, authorities said.
According to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a fourth-floor cell just before 7 p.m. after an inmate activated an emergency button, reporting a fight with his cellmate. When deputies arrived, they found one inmate unresponsive. Despite life-saving efforts, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The inmate who reported the altercation was detained, and homicide detectives, along with crime scene investigators, were called in to examine the circumstances surrounding the death. Authorities have not released the deceased inmate’s identity pending notification of next of kin.
Sheriff’s officials said no weapons were recovered in the initial stages of the investigation, and detectives are working to determine whether the incident involved self-defense.
As a result of the ongoing investigation, the jail remained on lockdown Wednesday night and visitation has been temporarily suspended. Authorities expect to resume investigative efforts Thursday morning
