Mississippi Prison Riot Leaves One Guard Dead, Others Injured

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UPDATE 3:39 A.M. EST

CCA spokesman Steve Owen confirmed that “there has been one employee death,” reports USA Today.

“It is my understanding that all staff are accounted for,” said Owen.

Adams County Sheriff Chuck Mayfield said in a statement that there had been at least two dozen hostages being held inside of the prison, reports ABC. Fifteen employees were freed by opening a fence and protecting the route with guns while they ran through. Mayfield says that prison personnel have “taken total control” of the facility.

At least four staff members and one inmate were hospitalized and several others were treated onsite. Total number has yet to be confirmed.

“Right now, we have three inmate injuries that were probably sustained from other inmates — one being a stab wound, concussion and rib injuries,” Mayfield said. “There were no escapes.”

White smoke, pepper spray grenades and flames could be seen from the facility as SWAT Teams fought to take control from the inmates, reports the Natchez Democrat.

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UPDATE: 1:01 A.M. EST

WLBT reports that SWAT Teams have entered the Adams County Correctional Facility and are now walking with guns drawn along the roof of the facility.

UPDATE: 12:02 A.M. EST:

Newsone spoke exclusively to a law enforcement officer on the scene who said that at least 10 officers are being held hostage inside of the prison, including two female guards that have allegedly been completely stripped. The number of inmates involved in the uprising has allegedly swelled to over 600. Various sources claim that another guard has died from his injuries, but that has not been confirmed. Family has not been notified, so names are not being revealed.

SWAT teams and multiple Special Operations Response Teams (SORT) are on the scene, as well as the Mississippi National Guard. Tear gas bombs were dropped inside of the facility.

“This is an ongoing riot that still has not been rectified because the prisoners are in still in charge of the prison,” said Adam County Coroner James Lee.

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UPDATE: 11:24 PM EST:

The prison guard who was killed during the inmate uprising was 23-years-old and suffered “blunt trauma to the head,” said Adams County Coroner James Lee.

The exterior of the prison has been visibly calm for about an hour, but smoke still billows from the facility. A SWAT Team is stationed outside and law enforcement from surrounding parishes in Louisiana are still arriving, reports the Natchez Democrat.

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UPDATE: 11:00 PM EST:

The prison riot has been going on for close to 8 hours. An inner compound and some outer housing units have been taken over by prisoners. An inmate called into WLBT from inside the prison walls to reveal the cause of the riot:

“They beat us; we’re just [paying] them back. We just need better treatment and services. We need medical attention. We just want some respect. They call us wetbacks.”

The prison is owned and operated by Corrections Corporations of America (CCA) and houses up to 2,567 adult male criminal immigrants, primarily Hispanic/Latinos.

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Adams County Sheriff Chuck Mayfield told local media that at least 8 guards were trapped inside of the prison. Officials know where some of them are and have spoken to others through the fence. He doesn’t believe remaining staff members are injured.

Mayfield estimated between 200 and 300 inmates of the more than 2,000 at the facility are causing the problems.

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Faculty staff, local and state law enforcement, and officials from the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) are currently in an ongoing violent dispute with prisoners at Adams County Correctional Facility in Natchez, MS, that has left at least one officer dead and several injured, reports WLBT.

The riot began at approximately 2:40 p.m. and according to law enforcement, the prison has been secured both internally and externally as much as possible.

According to WLBT, five employees have been transported to local hospitals for treatment of injuries. Additional injured staff are being treated onsite and one inmate has been transported to a hospital for treatment.

A Special Operations Response Team (SORT) has been activated, along with the presence of the Adams County Sheriff’s Department and Mississippi State Highway Patrol.

The prison is owned and operated by Corrections Corporations of America (CCA) and houses up to 2,567 adult male criminal immigrants.

Newsone spoke exclusively with an eyewitness on the ground, who says that helicopters are now circling the area, including a Air Evac Lifeteam chopper, and that law enforcement officers can be seen posted at various points on Mississippi’s Highway 84. There have also been reports of smoke being seen wafting from the building.

Adams County Coroner James Lee confirmed the guard’s death to the local newspaper, saying that the “situation is very high tension out there right now.”

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