A federal prisoner was shot dead in Florida in rare gunfire behind bars

The family of Dwayne “DJ” Tottleben, an inmate at the Coleman prison complex in Florida, is demanding answers after learning he was killed. Guns are not typically permitted in prisons.

An Illinois man was shot dead while incarcerated in a federal prison in Florida this month, his family and officials told NBC News, a rare incident behind bars as guards largely are not allowed to carry firearms.

Loved ones of inmate Dwayne Tottleben say they haven’t received answers from the federal Bureau of Prisons about how or why he was shot, more than a week after his death Oct. 10 at U.S. Penitentiary Coleman I, a high-security men’s prison northwest of Orlando.

The BOP typically shares information on inmate deaths in custody, but there was no immediate release about Tottleben. Agency officials did not respond to requests for comment amid the ongoing federal government shutdown. The local medical examiner’s office in Florida confirmed Tottleben’s fatal shooting to NBC News.

Donna Ford, a longtime friend who said she’s listed as next of kin for Tottleben, said the prison called her around 9 p.m. Oct. 10 to tell her he had died. She said the official offered no other details.

It came as a shock, she said, because she had spoken to Tottleben, who went by DJ, just that morning for about 15 minutes. Tottleben, 33, had been serving 15 years for possession of methamphetamines with intent to distribute related to an August 2020 traffic stop in St. Louis.