Miss. prison riot leaves guard dead, 8 hurt

By HOLBROOK MOHR | Associated Press – May 20, 2012

BRANDON, Miss. (AP) — A prison guard was killed Sunday during a riot that
also injured five other correctional officers and hurt three inmates at a
privately run facility in Mississippi that holds illegal immigrants,
authorities said.

The riot began about 2:40 p.m. CDT and involved dozens of inmates before
it was brought under control late Sunday night. Adams County Coroner James
Lee confirmed that a guard died, but said he could not provide any other
details until the correctional officer's family was notified.

Emilee Beach, a spokeswoman at the Adams County Correctional Center in
southwest Mississippi, said the uprising involved multiple inmates but she
wasn't sure exactly how many because the investigation was still ongoing.

She said that after the disturbance was brought under control Sunday
night, inmates were being searched and sent back to their cells.

Beach said the prison, owned and operated by Corrections Corp. of America,
holds illegal immigrants, most for charges of re-entering the United
States after being deported.

The five injured guards were taken to a hospital and treated for injuries
that weren't considered life-threatening.

The 2,567-bed prison in Natchez houses adult male illegal immigrants for
the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

CCA spokesman Steve Owen confirmed in an email "there has been one
employee death" but he said he could not provide more details immediately.

He said in an email early Monday "it is my understanding that all staff
are accounted for." He said the company was investigating what prompted
the uprising.

Adams County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Emily Ham said no inmates
had escaped the facility.

After the uprising began, CCA's Special Response Team and the Mississippi
Highway Patrol's SWAT team sought to quell activities within the prison
while state and local law-enforcement officers secured the perimeter of
the complex, Adams County Sheriff Chuck Mayfield said in a statement.

Mayfield told the Natchez Democrat that 15 employees were freed at one
time during the uprising by opening a fence and protecting the route with
guns.

The sheriff said in a statement early Monday that there were at least two
dozen hostages being held at one time.

Mayfield added that prison personnel had "gained total control" of the
complex.

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

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Associated Press writer Norman Gomlak contributed to this report from
Atlanta.