4 suicides in less than 4 weeks: Bexar County officials confirm latest death at jail

San Antonio Police officers man a possition near the Super 8 motel where a shooting suspect Melvin McKinney was allegedly barricaded. A San Antonio police officer was shot at the motel in the downtown area, police said. The suspect was armed with a rifle and a gun at the motel located at 1614 N. St. Mary's, on Monday, Sept. 9, 2013. less San Antonio Police officers man a possition near the Super 8 motel where a shooting suspect Melvin McKinney was allegedly barricaded. A San Antonio police officer was shot at the motel in the downtown area, ... more Photo: John Davenport, San Antonio Express-News Photo: John Davenport, San Antonio Express-News Image 1 of / 54 Caption Close 4 suicides in less than 4 weeks: Bexar County officials confirm latest death at jail 1 / 54 Back to Gallery

SAN ANTONIO — A 40-year-old man was found dead of an apparent suicide Friday at the Bexar County Jail, the fourth suicide at the jail in less than four weeks, according to the officials.

The inmate, identified as Melvin McKinney, was found Friday morning alone in a cell in Special Management Housing, which is used for high-risk violent offenders, and was pronounced dead shortly before 7:30 a.m. McKinney hanged himself, the Bexar County Medical Examiner ruled.

RELATED: 40-year-old inmate who died at the Bexar County Jail hung himself, officials say

McKinney was booked into the Bexar County Jail in September 2013 on numerous charges, including aggravated assault against a public servant, assault bodily injury, violation of parole, felony possession of a firearm and possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, Keith said.

He allegedly shot a San Antonio Police Officer in the head and then locked himself in a downtown motel room for nine hours before surrendering to police, officials said.

READ MORE: Downtown standoff ends 'peacefully' after nine hours

The Texas Commission on Jail Standards, which reviews any in-custody death at county facilities it is tasked with overseeing, paid an unexpected visit to the jail last week to collect information on the first two suicides, which occurred in a span of 10 days.

Additionally, the agency met with officials overseeing the jail Wednesday of this week after the third suicide.

"Our preliminary review of the three suicides that had occurred prior to (Friday's) had determined that there were no violations of minimum jail standards," said TCJS Executive Director Brandon Wood.

Sheriff Susan Pamerleau will be holding a press conference at 2:30 p.m. today, which will be live-streamed on our Facebook page.

RELATED: Officials: Suspect in shooting death of 7-year-old Iris Rodriguez found dead in his cell

Victor Casas, 40, died on June 28; Jonathan Campos, 22, died July 9; and Jesus Jose Lopez, 18, died on July 15. All three inmates’ deaths were ruled suicides. Lopez and Campos faced capital murder charges and Casas was being held on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

All three hanged themselves with bed sheets in their cell.

Another inmate, Demone Satberry, died from natural causes at the jail on July 6. No foul play was suspected, officials said.

There have been at least 924 reported suicide attempts this year so far at the Bexar County jail, which houses about 3,800 inmates at a time, officials said last week. The number of suicide attempts at the jail in 2015 hit 1,300.

BCSO spokesman James Keith explained what the agency considers a suicide attempt in this context:

"An attempt is defined by actions that amount to more than mere preparation. For example, if an inmate tells an officer he is feeling suicidal or expresses suicidal ideations, the incident would be categorized as a “Suicidal Inmate.” However, if the inmate is found to have actively engaged in suicidal behavior such as trying to hang himself or cutting his wrist, then the incident would be categorized as a “Suicide Attempt.”

Keith previously said one of the inmates, Campos, was being held in Special Management Housing, which is where high-risk violent offenders will go for incarceration. Two of the other inmates who committed suicide, Lopez and Casas, were being held in general population housing.

RELATED: Third inmate commits suicide at jail in less than a month

After the third suicide last week, Don Finley, spokesman for University Health System, which provides the jail with mental health and medical services, said in an interview with the Express-News: “We are obviously concerned about the recent suicides and are evaluating our current practices to determine if any changes should be implemented.”

A database produced by The Huffington post tracking inmate deaths lists 815 people who have died while in custody in the United States since the death of Sandra Bland in July of 2015.

Staff writer Quixem Ramirez contributed to this report.

twhite@mysa.com

Twitter: @tylerlwhite