TECUMSEHÌý— As night descended upon the Tecumseh State Correctional Institution, state corrections leaders announced that two inmates had been killed during an incident at the prison Thursday.
Scott Frakes, director of the Department of Correctional Services, said the inmates had been murdered during an hours-long disturbance that included fires in the prison yard and in a housing unit.
Emergency response personnel found the two dead inmates after entering the housing unit late Thursday afternoon. Frakes said numerous inmates had suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
"This incident is a reminder that this is a dangerous business," Frakes said at a news conference at the prison gatehouse Thursday evening. "And we must remain vigilant as we keep people safe."
The incident Thursday was in the same housing unit badly damaged by rioting prisoners in 2015.
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Frakes said a prison staff member had been assaulted earlier Thursday, before the disturbance began about 1 p.m.
When inmates in the housing unit began causing problems in a day room, prison staff left the day room and secured the door leading to the rest of the housing unit, Frakes said.Ìý
For several hours, smoke could be seen rising from the prison as a State Patrol helicopter hovered over the scene. It wasn't until about 4:30 p.m. that emergency response personnel were able to enter the unit and secure it. That's when they found the two dead inmates, Frakes said.
He said their names wouldn't be released until their families were notified.
Housing unit 2, where the incident occurred, is a maximum custody unit.
Mike Marvin, director of the state employees union, said he heard from Frakes that about 40 inmates from housing unit 2 refused to return to their cellsÌý— and then dragged bedding and other items outside and started them on fire.
State prison officials said the housing unit rebuilt after the 2015 riot remained functional and that any damage from Thursday's fire was not extensive.
“That’s one thing that’s kind of a plus,†Marvin said. “It’s been rebuilt in a manner that’s not as flammable.â€
Marvin was told all staff were safe.
State leaders in recent years have sought to reform a prison system plagued by overcrowding, staff shortages and flaws in its sentence calculation system that three years ago led to hundreds of inmates being discharged too soon.
A lack of programming also has led to many inmates who are eligible for parole remaining in prison, unable to complete necessary conditions.
Frakes said the Tecumseh prison has some vacancies, but staff is adequate for daily operation.
Gov. Pete Ricketts, who attended Thursday's news conference, defended Frakes and said the prisons system was underfunded for years.
It's making progress, he added, but "as long as inmates make bad choices, this is a dangerous place."
Officials called the deaths of the inmates tragic. The State Patrol is leading the investigation.
Dawn-Renee Smith, spokeswoman for the Department of Correctional Services, said the incident was contained to half of the housing unit and a small, fenced yard outside it.
For hours, inmates could be seen in the yard throwing objects onto a fire.
As nightfall approached, officers with the response team approached the inmates and methodically worked to clear the yard one inmate at a time.
That process continued as the news conference began. The prison remained on lockdown late Thursday night.
Johnson County Board Chairman Scotty Gottula said that when he arrived at the prison Thursday afternoon, he saw smoke and what appeared to be a couple of mattresses on fire. But he was too far away to see much more, he said.
Public safety was never compromised, officials said.
Said Ricketts: "Director Frakes will thoroughly investigate the incident, and inmates involved in the incident and the loss of life will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law."
On May 10, 2015, the Tecumseh prison was the scene of a riot that lasted two days.
Two inmates died and two were injured that day. Nearly 20 prison workers were endangered and stranded in offices and the prison yard tower. And millions of dollars in damage at the maximum-security prison was caused by fires, broken windows and destruction of computers and cameras.
No one has been charged in the beating deaths of Shon Collins and Donald Peacock, but half a dozen men were charged in the fire and assaults.
