Culture & Society

Oklahoma jail inmate fatally shot after taking corrections officer hostage and live-streaming it all

March 28, 2021 | | Print Article

An Oklahoma corrections officer went to a hospital and an inmate is dead following a hostage situation on the 10th floor of a detention facility in Oklahoma City on Saturday, as the incident was streamed live online.

Officials, who said that particular floor of the Oklahoma County Detention Center is where the most problematic inmates are housed, confirmed to Fox News that one of the inmates involved in the hostage-taking was killed by Oklahoma City police.

The extent of the injuries regarding the corrections officer who was taken to the hospital for treatment was not known immediately, according to Lt. Wayland Cubit of the OKC police department. But, The Oklahoman reported, quoting Jail Administrator Greg Williams, the officer was able to leave the detention facility under his own power.

Reports noted that the jail facility remained on lockdown into Saturday night with extra personnel stationed inside. The name of the inmate who was killed was not immediately released pending notification of the family. Authorities said he was the one suspected of taking the corrections officer hostage.

In a subsequent news conference Saturday evening, Williams said the hostage incident occurred as jail personnel were distributing medications. He added that it is probable the detention officer was accompanying a medical staffer at the time, but he said no one else was involved.

Video that appeared online shows an inmate inside the jail standing and talking to someone else who looked to be restrained. The inmate is complaining about jail conditions in the video, saying, “We can’t take showers.”

A series of videos, shared online by KFOR reporter Jessica Bruno without audio due to language, appear to show an inmate live-streaming. At one point, video shows the inmate appearing to dance over while hovering over the corrections officer.

In one of the videos that contained audio, a man can be heard saying “the CO (corrections officers) ain’t got nothing to do with this. He just so happens to be a product of the situation.”

The paper said that the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Department requested extra assistance from the OKC police department because there were not enough deputies on duty to enter the jail safely.

After police arrived, Sheriff Tommie Johnson III said officers attempted to de-escalate the hostage situation. But the inmate had the corrections officer in a “hostage position” with an object held against his neck, which caused police to use lethal force.

Another video clip shows officers assembled below the inmate and the captive as they monitored the situation.

The Oklahoman reported that Oklahoma City police Chief Wade Gourley announced his department will be conducting an investigation into the incident.

The Rev. T. Sheri Dickerson, who leads Black Lives Matter-Oklahoma City, told The Oklahoman that inmates have frequently complained about conditions at the facility, including moldy food, lack of water, and unsanitary conditions.

“This is nothing new,” Dickerson said. “The inhumane conditions of the Oklahoma County jail are horrendous.”

She added: “They don’t respect the simple dignity of human beings when they stand up and say, ‘I am a person. I don’t deserve to be treated like this.’”

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Jon Dougherty
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