The Legal Aid Society is mourning the loss of client Christopher Nieves, who died while in NYPD custody at Brooklyn Criminal Court on Friday night.

“We express our deep condolences to his loved ones and all who are affected by his passing,” reads a statement from Legal Aid.

“This tragic loss represents at least the twelfth person to die in City custody or shortly after being released and the third person to pass away at a local courthouse this year alone,” the statement continues. “The NYPD’s drive to criminalize poverty has led to the avoidable and unnecessary incarceration and death of a man who was accused of shoplifting food from a grocery store. Instead of receiving the care he urgently needed, he languished and died in a holding cell.”

“At a time when misinformation about ‘cashless bail’ spreads widely, a man who was accused of a low-level crime that New York’s bail laws were designed to protect has died in NYPD custody,” the statement reads. “The NYPD continuously flouts the rules that require people to remain at liberty on non-violent and low-level matters while they await resolution of their court case. This is a cruel example of the consequences of the NYPD’s failures.”

Legal Aid is demanding an urgent, transparent, and full investigation into Mr. Nieves’ death.