SMYRNA, DELAWARE — Police stormed a prison in Delaware on Thursday to bring a siege lasting almost 19 hours to an end that left one guard dead and another injured.
The hostage standoff began on Wednesday morning, when inmates took control of Building C at the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center, and forced prison officer Sergeant Steven Floyd inside a closet, CBS News reported.
The inmates were armed with sharp instruments, according to police. They took a female counselor and three prison guards hostage, including Floyd.
Floyd, 47, a 16-year veteran of the Department of Corrections, was later found dead.
Two of the guards were later released and sent to the hospital. One was hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries.
Water to the prison was turned off during the standoff, but was turned back on as police negotiated with inmates, BBC News reported.
The inmates used the water to fill metal footlockers and barricade the building. The siege ended early on Thursday morning, when police used a backhoe to break through the barricades.
During the siege, inmates called a local newspaper to explain their actions.
One inmate said that among other things, they were protesting against President Donald Trump. The inmates also demanded that money be allocated to prisoner education and rehabilitation.
Sergeant Floyd’s death follows the fatal shooting of transit security officer Scott Von Lanken, 56, in Denver on Tuesday.
Police have arrested a suspected radical Islamist, named as Joshua Cummings, 37, in connection with the security officer’s murder.
The hostage standoff began on Wednesday morning, when inmates took control of Building C at the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center, and forced prison officer Sergeant Steven Floyd inside a closet, CBS News reported.
The inmates were armed with sharp instruments, according to police. They took a female counselor and three prison guards hostage, including Floyd.
Floyd, 47, a 16-year veteran of the Department of Corrections, was later found dead.
Two of the guards were later released and sent to the hospital. One was hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries.
Water to the prison was turned off during the standoff, but was turned back on as police negotiated with inmates, BBC News reported.
The inmates used the water to fill metal footlockers and barricade the building. The siege ended early on Thursday morning, when police used a backhoe to break through the barricades.
During the siege, inmates called a local newspaper to explain their actions.
One inmate said that among other things, they were protesting against President Donald Trump. The inmates also demanded that money be allocated to prisoner education and rehabilitation.
Sergeant Floyd’s death follows the fatal shooting of transit security officer Scott Von Lanken, 56, in Denver on Tuesday.
Police have arrested a suspected radical Islamist, named as Joshua Cummings, 37, in connection with the security officer’s murder.
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