Inmate kills guard at Oklahoma private prison, officials say

The correction officer died from injuries sustained during an unprovoked attack by an inmate at the Davis Correctional Facility in Holdenville, Oklahoma

An Oklahoma guard was killed by a prison inmate on Sunday, authorities said.

The corrections officer died from injuries sustained during an unprovoked attack by an inmate at the Davis Correctional Facility in Holdenville, the Oklahoma Department of Corrections (ODOC) told The Independent in a statement.

The suspect, who has been placed in isolation, was returning to a housing area with other inmates from recreation time at the time of the incident, local news station KOCO first reported.

Medical staff at the facility provided first aid measures but the officer succumbed to his injuries, ODOC said.

The officer’s identity has yet to be released pending family notification, the release added.

“Our hearts go out to the officer’s family, friends, and coworkers at this time. Support services are being made available to facility staff,” ODOC said in the release.

The Davis Correctional Facility is medium-security prison 70 miles south of Oklahoma City. It is owned by CoreCivic, a Tennessee-based private corrections company, and can house up to 1,300 medium and 360 maximum security prisoners, The Oklahoma Watch reported last year.

The state department of corrections has opened an investigation into the circumstances that led to the officer’s death. It is unclear what kind of weapon was used in the attack. CoreCivic spokesperson Matthew Davio told The Independent that information will not be disclosed at this time.