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A 21-year-old man died at Baltimore’s state-run jail after he was found unresponsive in his cell on Monday.
Correctional officers located the man just before 7 a.m.
On Tuesday morning, four detainees at the jail suffered “possible overdoses” at the Baltimore Central Booking and Intake Center, according to the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, which runs the facility.
The agency named the 21-year-old as Cortez Johnson. They said that there were “no obvious signs of trauma or foul play” and detectives are waiting for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to determine a cause and manner of death.
Johnson’s death comes less than a month after Javarick Gantt, a 34-year-old who was deaf and used sign language to communicate, was killed at Central Booking. The subject of the investigation into Gantt’s death was being held on a murder charge, while Gantt was being held on a failure to appear violation, raising questions about why the two were paired together.
Following Gantt’s death, an ACLU report surfaced making public a litany of harrowing conditions at the facility, including inadequate housing for people with disabilities.
The detainees who overdosed on Tuesday morning were all released after medical treatment, the department said.
“The Department has multiple specialized teams that have been and will continue to be on site, all focused on contraband interdiction and recovery, to include K9 units,” the department said in a statement. “These resources are continuing to investigate this apparent overdose incident and identify possible contraband sources.”
Johnson, of Walbrook, pleaded guilty on Sept. 13 in Baltimore Circuit Court to first-degree murder and use of a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence.He was awaiting sentencing. The Baltimore State’s Attorney’s Office had agreed to cap the sentence at life in prison with all but 50 years suspended.
On April 17, 2021, Johnson called 911 while on the bus and reported that he “just killed someone.” When Baltimore Police arrived, prosecutors said, he walked toward them with his arms out and stated, “Cuff me up, you already know.”
Johnson told investigators that he shot and killed his stepfather, Ivan Green, with a sawed-off shotgun, prosecutors said.
James Scott, Johnson’s attorney, could not immediately be reached on Wednesday.
This story will be updated.
Banner reporter Dylan Segelbaum contributed to this article.
bconarck@thebaltimorebanner.com
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Ben Conarck is a criminal justice reporter for The Baltimore Banner. Previously, he covered healthcare and investigations for the Miami Herald and criminal justice for the Florida Times-Union.
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