Dies after b’ball game at Rikers I.
A Rikers Island inmate facing drug charges died shortly after playing basketball in a jail recreation yard, the Daily News has learned.
Chiki McLain, 43, fell to the ground while he was walking off discomfort at the Otis Bantum Correctional Center (bottom) on Rikers Island on Saturday at 12:25 p.m.
Medical staff arrived at the scene eight minutes later, preliminary department records show. He was pronounced dead at 1:35 p.m.
The city medical examiner has not yet determined the cause of his death.
McLain, from Harlem, worked as a home health aide before his arrest on April 18.
His family wants to know exactly what happened.
“He was our beloved brother who we will miss very much,” said older brother James McLain. “We are looking for answers from the city.”
“He was way too young to die all of a sudden,” he added. “We are hopeful the Department of Correction will work with us to bring closure to our family.”
He spoke with his brother three days before his death.
“He was in good spirits,” McLain said. “He got some good news from his attorney. He was hopeful to be vindicated.”
The de Blasio administration has made it a priority to reform the scandal-scarred Correction Department and funneled millions to boost medical care for inmates.
As part of that effort, NYC Health & Hospitals took over the medical treatment of inmates from the long maligned for-profit operator Corizon.
“Any death in our custody is a tragic loss,” said Correction Department spokesman Peter Thorne. “An investigation into this death is underway.”