A correctional officer and a nurse were killed after an inmate attacked several staff members and other inmates at Iowa’s Anamosa State Penitentiary, prison officials said.
The attack took place on Tuesday morning in the prison infirmary. The detainee was restrained by an additional security team, while other facility officials began “trying first aid to save lives for the wounded until paramedics arrived,” the Iowa Department of Corrections said in a statement.
A correctional nurse and a correctional officer died from the injuries, the statement said.
The names of the deceased will not be released until the closest relatives are notified. The inmate’s identity has not been released at this time.
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has promised justice for the victims’ families, calling the incident a “tragic and heinous death”.
“Today, our state regrets the loss of two civil servants who were attacked while on duty at the Anamosa State Penitentiary,” said Reynolds in a statement. “My deepest prayers and condolences go out to their families, friends and colleagues, as they begin to deal with this meaningless tragedy.”
Reynolds also said he would order all state flags to be flown at half-mast to honor and remember the two victims.
Danny Homan, president of the union that represents correctional facility employees in Iowa, said: “No one should have to go to work and worry about whether they will come home or not.”
“Unfortunately for two Iowans who have compromised their lives to keep our communities safe, they will not be going home tonight,” said Homan.
The website of the State Penitentiary of Anamosa states that it is a maximum-to-average security facility that houses about 950 offenders, with approximately 321 employees.
The incident is being investigated by the Iowa Department of Corrections and the Iowa Criminal Investigation Division, within the Iowa Department of Public Security.