KBI gives new details surrounding 17-year-old's death while in custody

WICHITA, Kan. (KAKE) - The Kansas Bureau of Investigation gave new details surrounding the death of a 17-year-old boy while in custody. 

The Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office asked the KBI to investigate on Friday, Sept. 24, at approximately 10:30 a.m.

Preliminary information indicates that at approximately 1 a.m. on Sept. 24, Wichita police officers responded to a disturbance call from a resident in the 1200 block of S. Fox Run in Wichita. Upon arrival, officer found 17-year-old Cedric "CJ" Lofton, of Wichita, outside the home.

According to a news release from the KBI, Lofton appeared paranoid and was behaving "erratically." Officers spent an extended amount of time trying to convince him to voluntarily seek mental health treatment but ultimately attempted to take him into custody. Lofton reportedly resisted by assaulting the officers. After a physical struggle, Lofton was arrested for four counts of battery of a law enforcement officer. 

Lofton was transported to the Juvenile Intake and Assessment Center (JIAC) in a Wrap restraint system, a device used to prevent subjects from hurting themselves or others. Once at the facility, the Wrap device and handcuffs were removed from Lofton and he was placed in a single holding cell.

Lofton was allowed to leave the holding cell to use the restroom and when a JIAC staff member attempted to escort him back to the holding cell, Lofton reportedly assaulted the staff member. Multiple corrections staff got into a lengthy physical struggle to get Lofton into the holding cell and placed him into handcuffs. 

Once Lofton was under control, staff were monitoring him and noticed he had become unresponsive. 

Life saving measures were initiated and EMS transported Lofton to a nearby hospital where additional medical interventions were attempted. At approximately 1:55 a.m. on Monday Lofton was pronounced dead. 

The KBI says an autopsy was conducted on Monday. Lofton's cause of death is pending further investigation and toxicology results. 

The KBI says it investigates all in-custody deaths that occur in Kansas jails and prisons, unless the inmate who dies is regularly attended by a physician, or the death is ruled natural by an autopsy.