CINCINNATI — The driver accused of striking and killing a 2-year-old boy while driving under the influence was found unresponsive in his jail cell Tuesday afternoon, according to a news release from the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office. He appeared to have overdosed.
Officials said Satwinder Singh, 31, was taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center and remained in critical condition Wednesday evening.
Singh had been jailed in connection to a fatal Dec. 30, 2018 strike on toddler Dameon Turner Jr.
Turner’s father, Dameon Turner Sr., had been pushing him along the sidewalk in a stroller when — according to police — Singh’s pickup jumped the curb, hit them both and drove away.
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Police found Singh at a nearby BP station, where prosecutors said they were forced to administer naloxone to prevent him from falling asleep during the interview.
Turner Jr. died at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital the following day.
“This is the most tragic situation,” Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters said after Singh was indicted. “It truly feeds into the fact that we have a serious problem with opiates, and this little boy sadly died because of this.”
Singh’s license was suspended at the time of the crash; he had been arrested and charged with operating a motor vehicle under the influence, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of cocaine days earlier.
The Hamilton County Heroin Coalition plans to investigate his overdose, according to the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office.
