Man Who Attempted Suicide in St. Louis Police Custody Has Died

DeJuan Cole had been on life support since making an attempt on his own life on November 29

Dec 7, 2023 at 5:31 pm

Courtesy Sharmaine Duncan

Photo of DeJuan Cole, 22, who passed away at SLU Hospital earlier this week.

A 22-year-old man who attempted suicide in St. Louis police custody two weeks ago has now died, his family confirmed.

On November 29, DeJuan Cole was in custody at the police's Central Patrol Division near Downtown West when he attempted to end his own life. Police confirmed to the RFT on Tuesday that there had been a suicide attempt and a person was in critical condition at a hospital, but they did not release his name.

Today, Cole's aunt Sharmaine Duncan confirmed to the RFT that her nephew passed away at Saint Louis University Hospital.

"He was a very respectful, loved individual," Duncan says of her nephew, who worked as a cleaner.

Cole, who had been arrested on charges related to theft, left behind a 2-year-old son. His death is the twelfth in custody in the city in approximately the last two years.

Duncan says that her nephew was not able to communicate while in the hospital after the suicide attempt, though she and Cole's mother were able to spend the night in the room with him.

The Post-Dispatch reported that Cole was declared brain dead Sunday, but subsequently kept alive using a respirator so that his organs could be donated.

Duncan tells the RFT that a young woman had received Cole's heart, and that three men were recipients of other organs, including his kidney and liver.

"Even though he lost his life, he was able to give those on a donor list the opportunity to live," Duncan says. "He was selfless."

Duncan says that the family is trying to gather as much information as they can and be a support to Cole's mother.

Monte Chambers, the spokesman for Department Public Safety, previously told the RFT that the suicide attempt was the subject of an ongoing investigation by the police’s Force Investigation Unit.

"We won't know the truth until the investigation is over," Duncan says.

Cole's death is the second person to die by suicide this week after being in city custody. Javon White, 34, took his own life on Sunday while incarcerated in the City Justice Center, where he had been for 31 months on a murder charge. He was in a cell by himself when he took his own life.