An offender who tested positive for COVID-19 at Lumberton Correctional Institution has died at the hospital as a result of pre-existing conditions complicated by the virus. This is the ninth coronavirus death of an individual in custody at a North Carolina state prison.
“His death is a sad event, and we are continuing to work hard to limit the spread as much as possible and reduce the impact of COVID-19 in our prisons,” said Todd Ishee, Commissioner of Prisons. “The health and safety of the staff and the offenders in our custody is priority one.”
The offender tested positive on July 26, 2020. He was hospitalized on July 28, 2020. His condition worsened, and the offender died at the hospital on Aug. 5, 2020, at 5:30 a.m.
The offender was a male in his late sixties who had underlying health conditions. Given his family’s right to privacy and the confidentiality of prison offender records, the Department of Public Safety will not further identify the individual.
Prisons leadership has taken a substantial number of actions throughout the North Carolina prison system to try to prevent transmission of the virus. Find the actions here.