Steve Gonzalez
Steve Gonzalez, 36, of Moreno Valley, was held at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning, a jail run by the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. The Sheriff's Department said he was stabbed by another person held there on September 5, 2024, and that he was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries and died two days later. A Riverside County civil grand jury report found that jail staff errors in classifying the person who attacked him, and an out-of-service biometric identification system, meant the death could have been prevented. The Sheriff's Department disputes that conclusion, saying a single error was responsible.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by another person in custody (disputed; neglect alleged). The sheriff's department says another inmate stabbed him, but a Riverside County civil grand jury says booking and classification errors contributed to the attack, and the department disputes that conclusion, saying a single error was responsible.
Reported by: Riverside County Sheriff's Department (the agency that held him); Riverside County civil grand jury (outside investigators).