State: Cardiac arrest killed inmate

COXSACKIE – A preliminary investigation shows Greene Correctional Facility inmate Anthony Myrie went into cardiac arrest and died after a brawl with fellow inmates, a Department of Corrections and Community Supervision spokesman said Friday.

Myrie, 24, was serving seven years on a conviction of third-degree attempted criminal sale of a controlled substance, a class B felony. He died Feb. 11, police said.

“The preliminary autopsy results indicate Mr. Myrie’s body had no signs of trauma and the cause of death appears to be consistent with sudden cardiac arrest,” DOCCS spokesman Thomas Mailey said in a statement.

Myrie’s official cause of death will not be known until autopsy results from the Albany County Medical Examiner’s Office are final, Mailey said.

Myrie was involved in a three-on-one fight with other inmates in a housing unit of the medium-security prison. Correction officers responded and issued verbal commands that stopped the fight, Mailey said.

“No officers used force at any time,” Mailey said. “Following the altercation, Mr. Myrie was examined by facility medical staff who found no injuries as a result of the incident.”

Myrie complained of chest pain after he was escorted to a holding area to be interviewed by security staff about the fight, Mailey said.

At that time, Myrie was “immediately returned to the medical unit for further evaluation when he collapsed, unconscious and unresponsive,” Mailey said.

“At that point, medical staff began emergency response and called for outside emergency medical services,” Mailey said. “He was transported by ambulance to Albany Medical Center for further treatment where he was, ultimately, pronounced dead.”

It is unclear at this time if criminal charges will be filed. State police at Catskill confirmed Friday they were handling the investigation into Myrie’s death.

“We’re handling the investigation, but we don’t have anything to release at this time,” state police Senior Investigator William Fitzmaurice said Friday. “We’re waiting on toxicology and other aspects of the autopsy.”

Toxicology reports usually take several weeks to complete, Fitzmorris said.

Myrie’s death garnered national attention Thursday when chart-topping rappers Cardi B and Meek Mill took to social media to express their outrage over the prison’s handling of the incident.

The rappers shared a viral post on their Instagrams that originated within Myrie’s inner circle of family and friends, adding their own commentary about what they perceived as an unjust death that the facility is trying to cover up, according to the posts.

The Department of Corrections and Community Services typically does not comment on open investigations regarding inmates.

“While it is standard protocol to not comment on an ongoing investigation, the Department is providing additional facts on the death of Anthony Myrie given the abundance of misinformation in circulation,” Mailey said.

Myrie was placed in the custody of the state prison system on Nov. 15, 2018, according to the Department of Corrections and Community Services’ website.

Greene Correctional Facility is located in a field behind the maximum-security Coxsackie Correctional Facility off Route 9W in the town of Coxsackie.

The capacity of Greene Correctional Facility is 1,813 inmates. General population inmates are housed in open dormitories. Offenders who are difficult to manage are housed in a 15-bed special housing unit or in a 200-bed isolation unit called S-Block.

To reach reporter Amanda Purcell, call 518-828-1616 ext. 2500, or send an email to apurcell@thedailymail.net, or tweet to @amandajpurcell.