A nurse and a correction officer died Tuesday after an inmate attacked several staff members in the infirmary of Anamosa State Penitentiary in Iowa before being restrained.
“At 10:15 a.m., multiple staff members were assaulted at the Anamosa State Penitentiary,” the Iowa Department of Corrections said in a statement. “A department nurse and a correctional officer have died as a result of their injuries.”
The victims’ identities were being withheld as next-of-kin were notified, the department said, promising more details as the investigation unfolded.
“What the department can confirm is that an inmate attacked multiple staff members and inmates in the prison’s infirmary,” the department said. “Additional security staff arrived and restrained the inmate. Staff began attempting lie-saving first aid on the injured until paramedics arrived.”
The Iowa Department of Corrections and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, under the auspices of the Iowa Department of Public Safety, are investigating, the statement said.
The maximum- and medium-security prison holds about 950 inmates and 321 staff, the Des Moines Register noted. About 70% of the inmates were convicted of violent crimes and the average sentence being served is more than 25 years, the newspaper said, citing the prison’s website.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds expressed condolences and promised justice for the bereaved families.
“Today our state grieves the loss of two public servants who were attacked while on duty at the Anamosa state penitentiary,” Reynolds said in a statement. “My prayers and deepest condolences are with their families, friends and colleagues as they begin to cope with this senseless tragedy. We will exhaust every available resource to deliver justice to those who committed this act and bring a sense of closure and peace to the victims’ families.”
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