New Haven inmate death prompts family’s call for ‘restraint tactics’ probe

Carl Talbot, as seen in photos supplied by his family. Carl Talbot, as seen in photos supplied by his family. Photo: CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Photo: CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Image 1 of / 11 Caption Close New Haven inmate death prompts family’s call for ‘restraint tactics’ probe 1 / 11 Back to Gallery

NEW HAVEN — The Department of Correction confirmed Friday that Carl Talbot, 30, died after an incident Thursday in the shower area of the New Haven Correctional Center.

Talbot was sentenced to up to nine months in prison after being convicted of breach of peace in September, according to correction department records.

He was released Jan. 24, according to the Hartford Courant.

Judicial records indicate he was charged with second-degree breach of peace on Tuesday stemming from an incident in New Haven and released on a promise to appear.

He was incarcerated for violating the conditions of his January release, according to the Courant.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said Friday it was investigating the death of a Carl Talbot.

A staffer declined to discuss whether Talbot died after an incident at the New Haven Correctional Center.

The cause, circumstances and manner of Talbot’s death have not yet been determined, according to the staffer. The process is expected to take six to eight weeks, she said.

A lieutenant at the New Haven Correctional Center was placed on administrative leave Thursday after the incident, which took place at approximately 6:45 a.m.

Talbot allegedly refused to leave the shower area, according to a release, causing staff members to respond.

“After several attempts, responding staff members were able to restrain the offender in the facility’s medical unit. Shortly thereafter, the offender became unresponsive,” PIO Andrius Banevicius said in a release Tuesday, before Talbot’s identity had been confirmed. “Staff immediately initiated lifesaving measures and activated 911.”

Talbot was pronounced dead at a local hospital at approximately 9:40 a.m, Banevicius said.

Talbot’s family issued a statement Friday evening reacting to his death. In it, they call him by his middle name — he was Carl Robert Talbot.

“We are shocked and completely devastated by the tragic death of Robby who we all loved so deeply. He was a loving person who would never harm a soul, cherished and beloved by his large, supportive family and circle of friends,” said the family. “Robby was a complicated and kind young man, incarcerated for breach of peace related to the serious mental health conditions he had lived with since childhood. Despite engaging in decades of treatment and recovery, he was more often failed by systems of help which are severely under-resourced. We will await the results of the investigation into the pepper-spray and restraint tactics that were used on him in the medical unit of the New Haven Correctional Center the morning of his death.”

The Department of Correction has not said that pepper spray was used during the Thursday incident, although it did note that Talbot was restrained.

william.lambert@hearstmediact.com