Newport News, Va. – A 23-year-old inmate at the Newport News City Jail died Wednesday after he was found hanging in his cell.
Sheldon Jones
Sheldon Jones was found by deputies around 5:45 p.m. and immediately received medical attention, including CPR and use of the automatic external defibrillator (AED) while EMS personnel were called, according to the Newport News Sheriff’s Office.
When medics arrived, Jones was transported to the hospital, where he later died.
Jones had been arrested on Tuesday evening on charges of possession of a firearm by a non-violent felon and possession of a sawed-off shotgun.
According to the Newport News Police Department, Jones was arrested following a traffic stop. An officer stopped him in the 500 block of 25th Street for traveling the wrong way on a one-way street.
During the stop, officers noticed what appeared to be illegal drugs. A search revealed suspected cocaine and the sawed-off shotgun.
Two separate investigations into Jones’ death are currently underway — one by the Newport News Police Department’s homicide squad, and an internal investigation by the Newport News Sheriff’s Office.
