Oklahoma
Inmate at private prison in Oklahoma kills officer, officials say
A corrections officer at a personal jail in Oklahoma was killed by an inmate over the weekend, the Oklahoma Division of Corrections stated Monday.
The assault befell at Davis Correctional Facility in Holdenville, about 77 miles east of Oklahoma Metropolis, the corrections division stated in an announcement.
Officer Alan Jay Hershberger died about 10 a.m. Sunday, following the assault, it stated. The precise time of the violence was not revealed.
He was “conducting an inmate motion when he was attacked from behind” by an inmate with a selfmade weapon, in keeping with the assertion.
NBC affiliate KFOR of Oklahoma Metropolis reported Hershberger was attacked as inmates have been returning to housing from recreation.
“Davis Correctional Facility employees responded shortly and valiantly after the assault, making an attempt life-saving measures whereas securing the realm to make sure the security of employees and different inmates,” the corrections division stated Monday.
The alleged attacker was recognized by jail officers as inmate Gregory Thompson, who they stated is serving a life sentence for a 2003 first-degree homicide conviction.
The inmate was additionally topic to forthcoming sentencing for a 2009 first-degree manslaughter case, they stated.
A corrections spokesperson didn’t instantly reply a request to permit Thompson to answer allegations he killed the officer.
The assault was being investigated by the corrections division’s Workplace of the Inspector Normal, who will submit outcomes to an area prosecutor for charging consideration, the division stated.
The power is owned by Tennessee-based CoreCivic, which says it is the nation’s largest proprietor of “partnership correctional, detention and residential reentry amenities.”
Anthony Cusumano contributed.