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He survived two Norwalk shootings in as many months, but 17-year-old Shaquan Welfare died Monday in his holding cell at the Manson Youth Institution in Cheshire, Conn. Welfare was found unresponsive on his bunk at around 5 p.m. during normal rounds at the facility, at which point he was given CPR and transferred to the hospital. He was pronounced dead at 5:41 p.m. The cause of his death is under investigation.
Welfare, who was being held at Mason on gun charges, was shot twice this year. The first incident took place in January at the East Norwalk bar Enigma, where he was struck in the leg by a stray bullet during a fight outside the club. He was shot a second time on Woodward Avenue in February.
Manson Youth Institution is a level 4 high-security facility, serving as the Department of Correction's primary residence for inmates under the age of 21. As of July 2009, it housed 650 offenders. In November 2008, AFSCME Local 387 held a press conference regarding complaints about changed policies at Manson. Union officials criticized then-Warden Christine Whidden for allowing too many inmates out of their cells at one time without sufficient supervision, putting both staff and residents in danger.
Manson's current warden is Jose A. Feliciano.
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