New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he was “deeply saddened” by the death of a Rikers Island inmate who was awaiting prosecution for allegedly murdering a Bronx laundromat owner in a seemingly random meat-cleaver attack.
“I am deeply saddened by the death of a New Yorker in City custody at a jail on Rikers Island early this morning,” Mamdani said. “My thoughts are with his family and loved ones as they grieve this loss.”
The mayor said authorities have not yet established what led to the inmate’s death, while pointing to the broader history of fatalities at the troubled jail complex.
“We do not yet know the cause of death, but we do know that too many New Yorkers have died on Rikers Island,” he said.
Mamdani said the Department of Correction, together with its oversight partners, will conduct an investigation into the death. He also reiterated his administration’s pledge to address conditions in the city’s jails and shutter Rikers Island “as quickly as possible.”
The inmate, Clarence Woodward, was a 39-year-old homeless parolee who had been arrested in connection with the Aug. 8, 2024, killing of 45-year-old Jose Miranda at the 303 Laundromat in the Bronx. Woodward faced charges of murder, manslaughter and assault.
According to police, Woodward entered the 24-hour laundromat at approximately 2:40 a.m. and attacked Miranda and another man without any apparent provocation.
Authorities alleged that Woodward stabbed Miranda in his legs and upper body with a meat cleaver and also wounded the second victim, a 47-year-old man, in the back before escaping from the scene.
Both injured men were rushed to Lincoln Hospital. Miranda succumbed to his wounds, while the second victim survived the attack.
Woodward had reportedly been released from prison approximately one month before the deadly attack.
Mamdani’s statement mourning Woodward’s death quickly drew criticism on X, where users questioned whether the mayor had similarly expressed condolences for Miranda and his grieving family.
{Matzav.com}
