New York’s Rikers Island sees seventh death this year after man dies in his cell

Death of Curtis Davis comes days after US attorney for southern district of New York says jail complex has been in crisis for years'

Calls for a federal government takeover of New York's notorious Rikers Island jail are likely to grow after a stabbing suspect died in his cell early on Sunday morning, the seventh inmate death this year and the 26th since New York's mayor, Eric Adams, took office in January 2022.

Curtis Davis, 44, was found lifeless on the floor of his cell at about 5.10 am, according to correction department records. Davis had been held since 1 June for allegedly stabbing a 29-year-old man in the eye.