12th jail death in less than a year: Man dies in Louisville Metro Corrections custody
Another person has died while in custody at Louisville Metro Corrections, marking the 12th loss of a person in the custody of the downtown jail in less than a year.
A corrections officer found 39-year-old Bashar Ghazawi unconscious Monday evening about 7 p.m. and began life-saving measures, according to a release from the jail. Emergency medical responders arrived, and Ghazawi was taken to University of Louisville Hospital, where he was pronounced dead less than an hour later.
His cause of death is believed to have been due to a drug overdose, according to the release.
“I am disgusted that it seems another person has lost his life because of those who seek to profit by smuggling these dangerous substances into the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections," Louisville Metro Corrections Director Jerry Collins said in the release. "We will continue to work hard every day to disrupt the drug trafficking that plagues our community and our jail.”
Ghazawi was in the jail's custody in relation to the fatal shooting of his wife in 2018.
On Monday - the day of his death - a Jefferson County jury found him guilty of murder, escape in the second degree, fleeing and evading police in the second degree, criminal mischief in the third degree and one count of resisting arrest. He was set to be sentenced Tuesday.
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Collins activated the Metro Corrections Peer Support Team and provided mental health services to those in custody at the jail, according to the jail's release. Additionally, the death is being investigated by the Metro Corrections Professional Standards Unit and the Louisville Metro Police Public Integrity Unit, the release states.
Last month, another man died at the downtown jail after attempting to take his life, according to a jail release.
That man was identified by the Jefferson County Coroner's Office as 39-year-old Buddy Stevens.
“I am saddened by this loss of life,” Collins said in a statement at the time. “Our goal at Corrections is to ensure the safety of every individual entrusted to our care. We will refocus and continue to promote wellness for the incarcerated population and the correctional staff.”
Since Collins became director in April, four people in the jail's custody have died.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Bashar Ghazawi, convicted of murder, dies in Louisville jail custody
