Following a hostage situation at a Delaware prison, one corrections officer has been pronounced dead and one has been hospitalized.
According to TIME, many were held hostage for nearly 24 hours at the James T. Vaughn Correction Center’s C Building. It began on Wednesday as prisoners took approximately four guards and a counselor hostage. The prison, which is the state’s largest correctional facility for men and houses about 2,500 inmates, is located in Smyrna, Delaware.
The slain corrections officer was identified as Sgt. Steven Floyd, a 16-year veteran of the Department of Corrections.
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Reporters state that a female employee was rescued and is hospitalized. Reports also said a prison lockdown has been implemented across the state as a precaution.
Gov. John Carney called the incident “torturous” and said in a statement, “This serves as a tragic reminder that members of law enforcement risk their lives every day on behalf of the people of Delaware.”
The inmates who were allegedly behind the takeover were released in waves after the incident. Authorities say they don’t know how many were involved and whether it could have been politically motivated.
Medical care, education and overall treatment were among many of the complaints that inmates have previously reported about the prison.
According to a report, one former inmate said, “The prison conditions are poor, inmates have limited access to education programs and issues with overcrowding… even those who exhibit good behavior aren’t able to be transferred to medium-security buildings.”
“We know the institution is going to change for the worse. We got demands that you need to pay attention to,” an unidentified person said in a call to a local paper during the stand-off.