A 37-year-old man died in the custody of the Binghamton Police Department on Sunday. Police Chief John C. Ryan announced the death in a statement shortly after midnight on Monday.
According to Ryan’s statement, the man’s identity is being withheld until next of kin are notified. An autopsy will be conducted as part of the investigation into the cause of death.
Ryan said the man experienced a “medical emergency” in the parking lot outside the Binghamton Police Department headquarters where he was being taken for booking.
His interaction with the police began the day before, when officers encountered him “blocking passage of an occupied Broome County Transit bus” in the city’s Northside neighborhood. Ryan’s statement describes the man climbing onto the outside of the bus and "exhibiting erratic behaviors” toward passengers.
The statement said the man “resisted arrest” which led to one police officer being injured. The officer was treated for a knee injury and released from the hospital the same night.
The arrested man was also taken to the hospital for a health evaluation. He was held overnight and released on Sunday morning, according to the police statement.
Police then drove him to the BPD headquarters where he was to be booked into custody.
According to the statement, police officers gave him “first aid including chest compressions and administered Narcan-Naloxone” until EMS arrived and continued treating him. He was transported to UHS Wilson Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The New York Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation (OSI) is in charge of the investigation. Since 2021, the office has been required under state law to investigate any deaths involving law enforcement officers.
The officers involved in the incident are on “modified duty” until the investigation is completed according to Binghamton Police Department policy.
This is the first reported death of someone in Binghamton Police custody this year. Since October there have been two other deaths involving local law enforcement in Broome County.
A 38-year-old woman died in Broome County jail in October. The attorney general found no wrong-doing by Broome County corrections and medical staff. An investigation by the state’s Commission on Corrections has not been completed.
A 38-year-old man was shot and killed by a Vestal police officer in February. The Attorney General’s office is in charge of that ongoing investigation.
