BREMERTON — New details have been released in an investigation of the death of a Kitsap County Jail inmate after he was restrained by six corrections officers.
Sean Michael Howell, 28, was booked into the jail on May 8 on a first-degree murder charge, after Bremerton police detectives said he confessed earlier that day to killing his 23-year-old girlfriend, The Kitsap Sun reported.
Corrections officers were called to the crisis cell where Howell was being kept the morning after he was booked into the jail, court documents said. Crisis cells are single-inmate cells with rubber walls meant to keep inmates from hurting themselves or others.
The Washington State Patrol released a statement Friday that said Howell attempted to tamper with the cell’s sprinkler system before multiple officers attempted to restrain him.
Investigators learned six corrections officers were involved in restraining Howell as he violently resisted, the statement said. The officers intended to move him to a different cell.
Multiple other corrections officers responded and four nurses responded to assist anyone with injuries. One officer was injured while restraining Howell. He was treated and released.
Howell was given CPR after being restrained and was taken to Harrison Medical Center, where he died six days later.
The Kitsap Critical Incident Response Team and the State Patrol are investigating his death. No officers were placed on administrative leave.
The Kitsap County Coroner is expected to release the cause and manner of Howell’s death.