Rashawn Shabazz’s Father Demands Independent Investigation Into Prison Death

Khalid Shabazz is challenging the official account of his son’s death at His Majesty’s Prison and calling for investigators with no connection to law enforcement to examine the case.

Rashawn Shabazz died in prison custody on July 23. His father said unresolved inconsistencies make an independent investigation necessary, arguing that police should not investigate allegations involving other law enforcement officers.

“Certainly when you have a situation like this when they are asked to investigate themselves, we don’t think that it’s right. We think that an independent investigation should be conducted by an independent body, not affiliated with the police,” he said.

Shabazz also said his son’s mental illness should have prevented him from being held at the prison. He maintained that Rashawn needed psychiatric treatment and should have been placed in an appropriate medical facility.

The father also questioned the timeline surrounding the death, saying his conversation with a doctor suggested Rashawn was unresponsive upon arrival at the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre.

“I spoke to the doctor. Understood from the doctor that when he came in he was not alive. His heart had stopped. So we can only conclude that that had either transpired on the way to the hospital, or at the prison,” Shabazz said.

Shabazz said the demand for an independent inquiry is not solely about obtaining answers for his family. He described it as a broader matter of accountability and public confidence when someone dies in state custody.

He pledged to continue seeking justice for his son and said a transparent investigation could help prevent other families from facing similar circumstances.

The case has also intensified scrutiny of how people with mental illness are treated within the criminal justice system and how deaths in state custody are investigated.

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