Source: WENN/Avalon / WENN
Another inmate tragically met the end of their life while incarcerated and this time, they’re kin to mega-producer and creator Tyler Perry.
MORE: Tyler Perry Hoped His Nephew Could Come Work For Him Before Alleged Prison Suicide
According to KNOE, 26-year-old Gavin Porter was an inmate at the Union Parish Detention Center in Louisiana and he was found dead on Tuesday, February 25, 2020, according to authorities.
Porter, of Greensburg in St. Helena Parish, was found dead in his cell around 8:30 p.m. According to Union Parish Sheriff’s Office media liaison Johnny Gunter, Porter died of an apparent suicide.
Porter was placed in the cell on Saturday night after a fight involving several inmates, Union Parish Sheriff Dusty Gates said. No foul play is suspected, although according to TMZ, the family suspects differently.
Tyler Perry’s sister is Gavin’s mom and she was told by prison officials that Porter had hanged himself with a bedsheet while in solitary confinement, according to the TMZ source.
The TMZ source says that after Porter had gotten in the fight with the other inmate over the weekend, he was placed in solitary and checked on by guards at 6 p.m., at which point he was fine. Then, they came back at 8 p.m. on Tuesday to find him dead. The family believes there’s more to the story, according to the TMZ source.
Porter was arrested back in 2016 for shooting and killing his biological father in front of his mom after authorities say an argument exploded between the two.
Gates said Porter pleaded guilty in April 2017 to a charge of manslaughter after originally being charged for second-degree murder.
Porter’s death and the fight that transpired beforehand is still under investigation. Meanwhile, his body was sent to Little Rock, Arkansas for an autopsy.
NewsOne will provide updates as they become available.
The tragic news comes as Tyler Perry remains busy with his many endeavors. He recently opened up his huge 330 acres Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, which features 12 sound stages named after iconic Black actors and actresses. So far, the facility has hosted the 2019 Miss Universe competition and a Democratic presidential debate.
Perry has also been busy writing his various T.V. shows for networks like OWN and BET+. Two of his most recent shows, “Sistas” and “The Oval” have brought in great ratings for BET and he also debuted a movie on Netflix called “Tyler Perry’s A Fall From Grace.” Perry recently bragged about writing all his own content and not having a writers room for his T.V. shows, a reveal that received quite a bit of backlash. However, Perry brushed it off by saying he works better without a writers room.
Perry has yet to comment publicly on the death of his nephew.
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