A corrections officer at East Mississippi Correctional Facility was shot and killed Tuesday by a fellow officer while they were both on duty at the prison, according to law enforcement.
Lauderdale County Chief Deputy Ward Calhoun said deputies responded to a report of a shooting in the EMCF parking lot at 1:12 p.m. along with Metro Ambulance.
“One individual died during this incident, and the other was taken into custody at the scene,” he said in a text message. “Based upon the initial investigation, both of the individuals were on duty correctional officers at the time of the incident.”
EMCF is operated by Management and Training Corporation, which contracts with the Mississippi Department of Corrections to house state offenders.
MDOC referred questions regarding the incident to Management and Training Corporation, which did not immediately return requests for comment.
Calhoun said Mississippi Department of Investigation was called in to investigate as required by state law. The sheriff’s department is assisting MBI at the scene, he said.
“No inmates were involved or harmed during the incident,” he said.