POLKTON — Police are investigating the apparent suicide of an inmate at Lanesboro Correctional Institution.

Tony Davis, 26, was unresponsive when he was discovered in his cell at about 5 a.m. Saturday, according to a press release from the North Carolina Department of Public Safety.

Officials say paramedics and prison staff could not revive him and he was declared dead.

Davis was serving a 40-year sentence for second-degree murder in the Raleigh shooting death of Christian Tobias McLean, 25, in May 2013. He began his sentence in June 2014, and had a projected release date of Oct. 16, 2051.

The Polkton Police Department is investigating his death.

Chief Matthew Norris said on Monday that the death was an “apparent suicide,” but that he is still investigating and awaiting the results of an autopsy report.

Davis apparently died by hanging from what Norris said appeared to be a torn bedsheet, but he added that it has not yet been verified at this stage in the investigation.

Lanesboro Correctional Institution is a high-security prison in Polkton that can house up to 1,400 inmates. It is located next to Brown Creek Correctional Institution.

Reach reporter Imari Scarbrough at 704-994-5471 and follow her on Twitter @ImariScarbrough.

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By Imari Scarbrough

iscarbrough@civitasmedia.com