Inmate Killed After Taking Corrections Officer Hostage

He also freed several inmates
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Mar 28, 2021 8:20 AM CDT
Inmate Killed After Taking Corrections Officer Hostage
iStock / Getty Images Plus   (poco_bw / iStock / Getty Images Plus)

An inmate at an Oklahoma jail was fatally shot by authorities Saturday after taking a corrections officer hostage. Per NBC News, the unnamed inmate at Oklahoma County jail grabbed the officer while medication was being distributed on the jail's 10th floor. Per the AP, the suspect then used the officer's keys to free other inmates on the floor, officials said. Some of those inmates reportedly also took part in the hostage taking and the jail was locked down as officials say officers attempted to deescalate the situation. Reports have also emerged that the suspect may have taken the hostage's cellphone and posted video of some of the incident to the officer's Facebook.

In the video viewed by KFOR, an inmate says the jail has no food for them to eat and that there's no working water for showers or toilets. Authorities fired their weapons after the suspect held something against the neck of the hostage, Oklahoma County Sheriff Tommie Johnson III said during a news conference. The entire incident lasted less than two hours, officials said. The correctional officer who was taken hostage was rescued and taken to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries. The names of the officer and suspect were not released. (More hostage stories.)

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