An incarcerated individual who allegedly assaulted a correction officer earlier this week died by what officials said was an “apparent suicide” early Thursday morning. Jaishon Bellamy, who had been in state prison since 2015, was discovered in his cell at MacDougall-Walker Correctional Insti tution at 2:30 a.m. on Thursday with a bedsheet tied around his neck, according to a Department of Correction press release. He was pronounced dead just over an hour later after being transported in an ambulance to St. Francis Hospital. “He was the only person in the cell at the time of the incident,” the press release states, adding that the state medical examiner will be determining the exact cause of death and that DOC and state police are investigating. Correction ombuds DeVaughn Ward said in a statement Thursday that Bellamy’s death “raise[s] substantial questions regarding DOC policies, supervision and mental health and safety practices.”  Bellamy had been transferred to MacDougall-Walker from Osborn Correctional Institution a few days earlier, after he allegedly assaulted a female correction officer there.  A DOC press release following the assault earlier this week said an unnamed incarcerated individual had assaulted a female correction officer “without warning or provocation … choking and punching [her] in the face.”  A press release from AFSCME Local 391, the union representing correction officers, referred to the incident as an “attempted sexual assault” in which an incarcerated person came upon the female officer from behind and “dragged her” into an area of the facility that was invisible to surveillance cameras.  According to the union, the officer sustained a fractured eye socket, bruising to her upper body and “significant abrasions.” She was taken to the hospital and later released.   Ward, the correction ombuds, said he’d spoken with Bellamy the night before his death, and that while Bellamy admitted to assaulting the officer, he “strongly denied attempting to sexually assault or rape her,” Ward said. Ward told the Connecticut Mirror that Bellamy said his birthday was Nov. 30, and he had been feeling unhappy. Bellamy said he was working his job as a custodian the following day when the female officer called him a “rapist,” which upset him and led to the assault. Bellamy was serving a sentence of 20 years for first-degree sexual assault.  “Mr. Bellamy was serving sentences for extremely serious offenses, including violent sexual assaults committed at a young age. While his criminal history is significant, it does not diminish the Department of Correction’s responsibility to protect the safety and welfare of staff and individuals in custody, nor does it lessen the need for transparency and thorough review when a person dies while incarcerated,” Ward said.  In response to Ward’s statement, union officials reiterated the gravity of the assault, calling it “one of the most heinous staff assaults in recent memory.”  “For the Ombudsman to cast doubt on the word of our officer erodes the faith that AFSCME Council 4 and our officers (who selflessly put their lives on the line every day in order to keep our state safe) have in the Ombudsman as an independent and impartial investigator,” they said in a statement to CT Mirror.   Ward reiterated that his office condemned any violent attacks against correction officers and said that Bellamy’s version of events, even if true, did not excuse his assault on the female officer — but it offered context.  “My job in terms of being impartial is to try and weigh all of the evidence and all of the facts,” he said.  State Sens. John Kissel, R-Enfield, Paul Cicarella, R-North Haven, and Stephen Harding, R-Brookfield, said in a joint statement that the investigation into Bellamy’s death needed to be done “thoroughly and transparently.” “The safety and health of our brave Correction Officers — as well as incarcerated individuals — must be our top priorities,” the statement read.  Sen. Gary Winfield, D-New Haven, a co-chair of the legislature’s Judiciary Committee, declined to comment on the incident.  Union President Robert Beamon said in a statement earlier this week that the assault was the consequence of DOC cutting back on officer positions in order to save on costs.  “For over a year, we have documented these hazards, pleaded for additional staffing, and demanded security upgrades in precisely this area. These are not luxuries; our officers are asking for the basic tools required to go home to their families alive and uninjured at the end of their shift,” Beamon said.  The union pointed in particular to the area where the female officer was working. They said that in March 2024, the department eliminated a security position in that area, dropping the number of officers tasked with patrolling from two to one. The union filed a grievance over the elimination of the position, which was ultimately denied.  According to union numbers, as of May 2025, DOC was short-staffed by approximately 570 correction officers.  According to data from the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, 15 people died by suicide while under the care of the Department of Correction between Jan. 1, 2023 and May 19, 2025.  Ward said medical and mental health care in the Department of Correction was “at crisis levels.” “At some point, we have to reach a tipping point where this is no longer acceptable,” Ward said.  Barbara Fair, executive director of Stop Solitary, said she was suspicious about the nature of Bellamy’s death. She called for more cameras in the facilities and “honest investigations” into deaths that were alleged suicides. “This is just crazy that people go in there to serve a sentence and come out in a body bag,” she said. The Department of Correction and the Connecticut State Police will both be investigating Bellamy’s death. Asked for comment, the state police referred CT Mirror to the Office of the Inspector General, which they said would be taking the lead in the investigation. That office confirmed in a statement that they would be investigating. ...read more read less