2 dead following uprising at Nebraska prison
A day-long prison riot at a maximum security facility in Nebraska has ended in the deaths of two inmates.
Officials say that two casualties resulted from the uprising that
took place Sunday afternoon at Tecumseh State Correctional
Institution in the Midwest. At least two officers and an
undetermined number of prisoners were also injured during the
standoff, and the identities of the deceased are yet to be
disclosed.
On Monday morning, the prison said in a statement that the
facility was secure and that the bodies of two inmates were
discovered in the aftermath. The cause of death was not yet
immediate clear.
Prison officials say the incident began to unfold at around
2:30pm on Sunday when staff members attempted to break up a large
gathering of inmates outside of a housing unit. Two of the
staffers were reportedly assaulted, according to a spokesperson
for the state correctional department, and a melee ensued that
soon escalated.
Two inmates discovered dead in prison housing unit after Tecumseh prison secured. pic.twitter.com/jZ57t9DCt7
— Lori Pilger (@LJSpilger) May 11, 2015
At least two inmates were shot during the ordeal, the Lincoln
Journal Star reported, and as many employees were also assaulted,
according to accounts. Jessica Houseman, a public affairs officer
for the prison, told reporters on Sunday evening that both guards
who were injured had been treated and released.
Inmate Daryl Eskridge explained to the newspaper over the phone
on Sunday that the altercation occurred following repeated
attempts to get prison officials to address their grievances. The
inmates had intended to give Corrections Director Scott Frakes a
copy of a petition, Eskridge told the paper, and things escalated
from there.
“This is not a white thing, a black thing,” Eskridge
told the newspaper during a phone call from prison late Sunday.
“This is a people thing.”
“We understand this is a prison, but we have been subjected to a
lot of things the department doesn't want people to see.”
Still no names of dead inmates. Frakes said they're still notifying next of kin.
— Lori Pilger (@LJSpilger) May 11, 2015
At around 11:00pm on Sunday, an inmate, Jeffry Frank, called a
local newspaper from a phone within an administrative office that
he had gained access to. Speaking to the Lincoln Journal Star,
Frank described the scene and said that dozens of officials clad
in riot gear had surrounded one of the housing units as fires
raged on within.
"They're standing out in front of our unit with automatic
weapons and riot gear," Frank said. "They haven't moved
in yet; we don't know if they're going to."
"I am looking out a window; there are maybe 60 or 70 blue
suits in riot gear and automatic weapons. Maybe National Guard.
Some are wearing camo,” he said.
During the phone call, the inmate explained that conditions
within the facility were not good as the standoff continued.
“The ceilings are fallen. There's drywall on fire. There's cameras torn down,” he said.
“We've pretty much taken the whole prison.”
The exterior of the facility was secured on Sunday evening and
all staffers were accounted for, according to a statement
published at the time, but smoke was seen rising from multiple
housing units early into Monday morning as fires reportedly raged
on inside.
