A 54-year-old Brooklyn man died in hospital Sunday after suffering a medical emergency while detained at a police station in East Flatbush, according to the NYPD.
Police identified the man as Reginald Newkirk. He became ill Saturday afternoon while being held at the 67th Precinct, prompting officers to request emergency medical assistance shortly before 2:15 p.m. Paramedics transported him to Kings County Hospital, where he remained until he was pronounced dead the following day.
Newkirk had been arrested Friday, October 2, on a charge of criminal possession of a controlled substance, according to police and court records cited by local news outlets.
Gothamist reported that police had taken Newkirk to a hospital for medical attention after his arrest and that he had been medically cleared before returning to custody. He experienced another medical emergency the next afternoon, according to the police account.
The cause of death has not been determined, and authorities have not disclosed the nature of the illness that led to his hospitalization. The NYPD’s Force Investigation Division is investigating the circumstances surrounding his death.
Police had released no further details about the incident as of the initial reports Sunday.
