A former Rikers Island correction officer won’t face charges in the 2022 death of an incarcerated person, even though the guard’s failure to render aid to the ailing man violated New York City Department of Correction policy and contributed to his death, the state attorney general’s office said.
Ezra Lewis, who was fired from his post immediately following the death of detainee Elijah Muhammad on July 10, 2022, observed Muhammad in a state of distress over several hours — including watching him “leaning against a wall and sliding down to the floor, clearly disoriented, unable to stand up, and apparently about to lose consciousness” — an inquiry by the AG’s office of special investigation found.
While Lewis’ failure to summon help or render aid constituted an omission of a legal duty, the office concluded, a prosecutor would be unable to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the failure caused Muhammad’s death. Muhammad, who was 31 at the time, died of “acute fentanyl intoxication,” according to an autopsy.