The family of an inmate killed in a 2015 riot at the Tecumseh prison has sued the state.
The mother of Shon Collins said in the lawsuit filed Tuesday in Lancaster County District Court that the state failed to protect him and that the Tecumseh prison was not properly staffed on May 10, 2015, when the riot broke out.Ìý
Staff on duty at that time totaled 57, though the minimum staffing requirement for that day was 61. Of those working, 35 percent of staff had two years or less of experience in the prison system.Ìý
About 2:25 p.m. that day, inmates from three housing units, including protective custody, were released from their unit with the intent that they'd go through the line for health care and return. The lawsuit says protective custody inmates, including Collins, should have been kept separate from other general population inmate.
People are also reading…
Collins was in protective custody because he had been injured by inmates before, requiring hospital care, the lawsuit says, adding prison staff knew about the threats and fear Collins had for his life.
During the riot, "corrections officers failed to take reasonable control of the inmates and fled to the gun tower, leaving the inmates, including (Collins) unprotected to defend themselves without proper resources," the lawsuit alleges.Ìý
At 6:36 p.m., an announcement was overheard that five sex offenders had been stabbed, the lawsuit says.ÌýWhen his family was told about his death, the lawsuit says they learned Collins died of blunt force trauma to the head and he had been stabbed multiple times.Ìý
His body wasn't found until the morning after his death, the lawsuit says.
Collins was serving 66 to 80 years for first-degree sexual assault of a child and for visual depiction of sexually explicit content.
The lawsuit does not list a specific figure, but the family had sought $1.2 million in damages when it filed a claim against the state in 2016.Ìý
Despite being imprisoned, the lawsuit says Collins, 46, supported his family through a $200 a month pension he received as a result of his military service that ended with his death. Collins served in Desert Storm and tours in Afghanistan and Iraq and was honorably discharged after 21 years, the lawsuit says.
A spokeswoman for the Nebraska Correctional Services Department said Wednesday the department doesn't comment on pending litigation.
No charges have been filed in connection with the deaths of Collins and inmate Donald Peacock in the May 2015 riot. There have been three deaths of inmates at the Tecumseh prison this year.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Reach the writer at 402-473-7395 or nmanna@journalstar.com.Ìý
On Twitter @LJSNicholeManna.