Rikers Inmate Stabbed 20 Times Amid Jail 'Negligence': Lawsuit

New York City NY

09 March, 2022

1:30 PM

Description

NEW YORK CITY — A Queens man who entered Rikers Island on a parole violation left the infamous jail with more than 20 stab wounds, a new lawsuit claims. The inmate — Dwayne Gripper — filed a civil complaint this week against 10 unnamed Rikers guards he claims put him in a jail cell with members of a rival gang, and New York City itself. His complaint's opening salvo doesn't mince words. "Dwayne Gripper was stabbed repeatedly in his jail cell on Rikers Island because the City of New York and its employees have lost control of the New York City jail system," the lawsuit states. The lawsuit covers the summer of 2021 — a span in which the long-troubled Rikers Island devolved into what many officials deemed a full-fledged humanitarian crisis. Gripper entered Rikers during that time because of a technical violation of his parole conditions, the complaint states. But once inside, Gripper found himself in near-constant danger, whether from crowded conditions during the coronavirus pandemic or from feuding gangs, according to the lawsuit. One gang in particular — dubbed the "Ape" crew — perceived Gripper to be associated with a rival group, the complaint contends. Jail guards, despite knowing Gripper could be in danger, still put him in a housing unit with Ape members, the lawsuit alleges. Violence came quickly for Gripper soon after he left his cell, the complaints states. "Within minutes of returning to the cell, and two hours of arrivingin the housing area, Mr. Gripper was attacked by members of the Ape set," it states. Two men overpowered Gripper and attacked him for 10 to 15 minutes before a single guard arrived, the complaint states. One of his attackers stabbed him multiple times in the back, according to the lawsuit. "At Bellevue, he was finally treated for his multiple stab wounds which have left him with permanent pain in his back," the complaint states. Gripper's civil complaint accuses jail guards and city officials of negligence. It is "reasonably foreseeable" that putting an inmate in cell block with potential rival gang members would end in violence, the complaint argues. Attorneys with the city's law department didn't respond to a request for comment as of publication.