An El Paso County jail inmate is in critical condition this evening after attempting to hang himself in a cell, the sheriff’s office said.

Deputies began resuscitating the man after someone reported the attempted hanging about 1:52 p.m., said sheriff’s spokeswoman Lt. Lari Sevene.  

The man’s name was withheld pending family notification.

El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa originally reported the man had died but later said he had a heartbeat upon arriving at a Colorado Springs hospital. Maketa said it was “not clear if he will make it.”Maketa said the inmate shared a cell with another man in the jail’s maximum security section.The attempt came after someone came to visit the man, but little additional information was available, Sevene said.

The population at the jail this morning was about 1,580, on par with the average daily population over the past several months, Sevene said.

Three generations are reflected in a pond at Fountain Creek Nature Center on Thursday, February 5, 2009. Diane Cavender (left) goes for a walk with her daughter, Tabitha Cavender (center) and mother, Ann Bednarcik on a beautiful springlike day. Photo by THE GAZETTE/JERILEE BENNETT