At least two prisoners
have been killed and others sustained injuries after inmates at a maximum
security prison in southeastern Nebraska took control of the facility.
In a statement released
Monday morning by the State Department of Correctional Services.
Corrections staff had secured the Tecumseh State Correctional
Institution, and are currently assessing conditions.
Two inmates were found
dead in a housing unit. The identities of the deceased are being withheld until
they can be identified and their next of kin notified. The Nebraska State
Patrol is currently investigating the disturbance as well as the deaths. All staff have been
accounted for, and there is no risk to the public.
The incident started
around 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the facility when staff members attempted to break
up a large gathering of inmates in front of a housing unit, James Foster, a
department spokesman, said in a statement. There were no reports of any
escapes.
Two staff members were
assaulted and one inmate was shot Sunday during disturbances at "multiple
housing units," resulting in small fires and property damage, according to
the statement.
As of approximately
9:15 p.m. Sunday, the exterior of the facility was secured and all staffers
were accounted for, according to the statement, which gave no other details.
Smoke rose from two housing units on Sunday and driveways to the prison were
blocked, the Lincoln Journal Star reported. Foster said officials were still
trying to clear and secure all areas at 2 a.m.
The Journal Star
reported it received a call from inmate Jeffry Frank just before 11 p.m. Sunday
via a case manager's office phone."We've pretty much
taken the whole prison," Frank told the newspaper.
He said that no prison
employees were inside the housing unit and described the scene, saying:
"The ceilings are fallen. There's drywall on fire. There's cameras torn
down," according to the Journal Star.
Foster told the Omaha
World-Herald that inmates had gained access to an office with a phone.
At some point during
the disturbance, a second inmate was injured by a rubber projectile, according
Foster's statement. The injured officers and inmates have received medical
treatment, he said.
The 960-bed Tecumseh State Correctional
Institution opened in 2001 in Johnson County, about 60 miles southwest of
Lincoln. Follow us on Twitter: @GozipClub