Among them was Eva Scott, a 47-year-old retail worker. "Contrary to what is being said, we are providing information. There is a process to releasing accurate information and that takes time., She also warned against "misinformation" on social media, saying it was "fanning the flames." '", Viars said she's sure her son is affiliated with gangs in prison. By clicking Subscribe Now, you agree to our. Then, on October 10th, Michael Powell killed Markeith Williams. MDOC'sstatementFriday wasits most substantive response yet, but remained light on details. Essence may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Inmates at one point Thursday also set another unit at Parchman on fire, but Mississippi Department of Corrections spokeswoman Grace Simmons Fisher said the blaze caused no structural damage. Dobbins said she's been warned that violence has spread. Walter Gates, 25, was stabbed and several other inmates were injured Tuesday at Parchman during a fight that spread . The second was 26-year-old Gregory Emary, who was killed at Chickasaw County Regional Correctional Facility in Houston.Roosevelt HollimanCourtesy of MDOC. We reached out to the Governor's office for comment. "Every time the phone rings at this point, it's another one.". "Grateful to those working to restore order and safety," he wrote on social media. Harry said she was particularly concerned as her partner is in a wheelchair following back surgery. Phil Bryant did not respond to a request for comment about the violence. All Rights Reserved. Another mother of a Parchman inmate hasn't heard from her son since Thursday and is sick with worry. The state has cut its overall spending on prisons over the past several years, the news outlet reported, even as the number of inmates has stayed the same. "That is the first priority. Burton said the inmate, whom she declined to identify pending notification of relatives, had multiple stab wounds. Late Thursday morning, she was called in for another fatal stabbing related to a gang related riot. He was serving a 17-year sentence for manslaughter inMarshall County. 0:00. The rate of killings in Mississippi prisons over this past week is highly unusual. "Two inmates were killed in Parchman last night. They were smarter than you. SMCI had been on lockdown for all of 2019 due to a severe staffing shortage, MDOC officials said. Market data provided by Factset. He sustained a neck injury. Emary was serving a 16-year sentence for a burglary conviction in Tate County, according to MDOC records. Howell's death comes a day after a 32-year-old male inmate died before noon Thursday at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman. "I know guards have to talk with inmates to keep control of other inmates.". You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! "Grateful to those working to restore order and safety," he wrote on social media. Stranger abduction is real, you should know, , You dont like the police, because they caught you. When she visited him, he often talked about opening a salon and barbershop with her. That same day, MDOC officials also sent more than 300 prisoners at Parchman to a private facility in Tutwiler, MS for their safety amid understaffing at the state penitentiary. ", Hosemann said he'svisited Parchman, including Unit 29, and talked with guards. Roosevelt Holliman, 32, was killed in what Burton said was a gang-related riot. "Following the riots, which occurred under previous MDOC leadership, the decision was made to shut down half of the 12 buildings that comprise Unit 29. Legal Statement. Another mother of a Parchman inmate hasn't heard from her son since Thursday and is sick with worry. Tyler, who was serving a life sentence for murder, and other charges, was believed to have been dead for four to six hours when his body was discovered, according to Marshall County Coroner James Anderson, and possibly even longer. Ben Salk, senior staff attorney at the Southern Poverty Law Center, said that's nothing new. Former Gov. Those on death row will stay at Parchman unless there's a change to state law requiring them . . James Talley, 36, was killed, along with Tim Protestors gather outside the Mississippi state capitol. It was the third death at Parchman since New Year's Day, and the fifth killing at all Mississippi state prisons in less than a week. "Maintenance had to respond to assist in opening the cell door" to let medical staff in. In June 2021, Hilson was charged with violating the inmate's civil . He has not been identified. These guys are over here doing that as we speak. Donald Reed was killed and two others were injured when 10 inmates with homemade knives attacked seven others in what was called gang violence by Epps. Download this stock image: Death penalty opponents Gary Griffin of Jackson, left, Michael Fender of England, center and Nasser Israel of Jackson, pray for the souls of death row inmate Edwin Hart Turner and the two men he killed during two robberies, Eddie Brooks and Everett Curry, in a parking lot at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman, Miss., Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012. On Tuesday, Mississippis lone Democratic congressman, Bennie Thompson, joined with the SPLC and ACLU to write to the US justice department, requesting a federal investigation into all Mississippis correctional facilities, which include three state-run and three private prisons. On Friday evening, he posted about the situation on social media, saying he'd been in contact with prison officials throughout the week. Another Mississippi inmate died at the hands of a fellow inmate on, Jan. 2, 2020, this time . She found the victim stabbed to death. "The people who perpetrated this violence will be charged and brought to justice," Bryant wrote. All of the 29 plaintiffs have been inmates at Parchman. Hello Charles. It will be a long road, but it starts today.. And Terrandance Dobbins, 40, was killed during a fight Sunday at South Mississippi Correctional Institution in Leakesville. At the end of 2019, the number of correctional officers, 732, was fewer than half the number of guards five years earlier, according to the Mississippi State Personnel Board. The lawsuit names three prison inmates who were killed this year at the state penitentiary in Parchman, Mississippi. Burton said the inmate's cellmate was taken to a Memphis hospital to be treated for stab wounds from their fight.Denorris HowellCourtesy of MDOC. At least 12 dead after winter storm slams South, Midwest, The Saturday Six: Dental device controversy, scientist's bug find and more, Trump speaks at CPAC after winning straw poll, 3 children killed, 2 others wounded at Texas home, Man charged for alleged involvement in 2 transformer explosions, Nikki Haley slams potential GOP contenders, and Trump and George W. Bush, Duo of 81-year-old women plan to see the world in 80 days, Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant to "take some time away" from the team after allegedly brandishing a gun in a club, Alex Murdaugh trial: What to know about the double murder case, Calls for prison reform in Mississippi after inmate murders and escapes. "He said, 'Mama, I just want to let you know I love you.' The states prisons have been on lockdown since a fight Sunday at the South Mississippi Correctional Institution that killed inmate Terrandance Dobbins, 40, authorities said.Some local officials have described the violence as gang-related, but state officials haven't said what's driving the violence. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. On Friday evening, he posted about the situation on social media, saying he'd been in contact with prison officials throughout the week. Multiple law enforcement agencies, including the corrections department, Mississippi Highway Patrol and surrounding county sheriff departments, responded to the request for assistance, Haygood said. Over the last 10 days, five inmates were killed in different Mississippi state prisons. Earlier Friday, before Howell was stabbed to death, 26-year-old prisoner Gregory Emary of Hernando was killed at the Chickasaw County Regional Correctional Facility, a county-run jail that holds state inmates. ', "He said, 'It's to the point where you have to fight for your life. Five inmates were killed and an undisclosed number of others inmates were injured during an outbreak of violence in Mississippi's prison system between Dec. 29 and Jan. 3. Thats a human being. Earlier on Thursday the Clarion Ledger reached out to MDOC spokeswoman Grace Fisher for a response to claims from inmates and relatives of inmates about violence. Another inmate was stabbed in the Friday incident and . Inmates and their families have contactedmedia including the Clarion Ledger, sending photos and videos and claiming violence is unchecked and smoke from fires has madeit hard to breathe. Did you encounter any technical issues? Dennoris Howell, who was serving a 17-year sentence for manslaughter, was knifed by another inmate around 3 a.m. Friday morning at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman, Sunflower County Coroner Heather Burton said. In addition, most past inmate deaths at Parchman have been deemed due to natural causes. Another Mississippi inmate has died at the hands of a fellow inmate this week, authorities said Friday. The MDOC release warned media against reporting allegations about problems in the prison system. "We have people in our prison system who don't need to be there, who are not threats, who are not dangerous," Barbour said. ", Parchman riot: 4th inmate killed as violence escalates in prisons across Mississippi, The latest death was Denorris Howell, 36, who was killed after sustaining a neck injury during a fight with his cellmate early Friday morning at Parchman, Burton said. If you have to live in a place like that, you just have to fight for your life., Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. The Guardian reviewed photographic evidence as well as video which supported this description of conditions. . Three of those five deaths were at Parchman. Parchman is the same prison that had three deaths from Dec. 29 to Jan. 3. Magazines, Digital Sunflower CountyCoroner Heather Burton said Friday the threekillings in three days at Parchmanis "unprecedented" in her 12 years in office. Mississippi continues to incarcerate African Americans at a disproportionate rate. Two inmates were killed at Mississippi State Penitentiary after an altercation, the state Department of Corrections and county coroner said Tuesday. Most Read 2-vehicle crash on MS-588 causes . The flurry of killings also brings renewed attention tofunding and staffing shortages inthe state prison system, where guards are sometimes paid around minimum wage. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. The outgoing governor, Phil Bryant, has acknowledged the fiscal problems but blamed inmates for the January violence. Reporter Sarah Fowler contributed to this story. Sunflower County Medical Examiner and Coroner Heather H. Burton said the fight broke out at Unit 29 at the prison about 9 p.m. Tuesday and spread to other buildings within the unit. Phone. Correctional Officer Argentra Cotton was stabbed to death by a maximum security inmate in the Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman, Mississippi. MDOC said all state prisons will remain on lockdown until further notice. He's not a very big person so I told him 'Please, son, just stay your distance away from all that. Official cause of death and manner of death are pending autopsy results.. 'Ticking time bomb':: Violence surges amid guard shortage at Mississippi prison. She said he died of multiple stab wounds. Those who had contacted their loved ones had done so via contraband cellphones, which are widely used in Parchman. An inmate at a Mississippi prison was found hanging in his cell by two corrections officers over the weekend and pronounced dead, a coroner said Sunday. Mississippi State Prison in Parchman, Mississippi, has a long history as a penitentiary. In this July 21, 2010 photo, employees leave the front gate of the Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman, Miss. That incident brought a heavy police response, with state troopers, corrections officers and deputies from multiple counties responding. Gregory Emary, 26, of Hernando, was killed during a disturbance at the Mississippi Department of Correction's Regional Correctional Facility in Chickasaw County, authorities said. 2023, Hearst Television Inc. on behalf of WAPT-TV. During that same week, two other inmates were killed in separate Mississippi prisons. Viars said she's sure her son is affiliated with gangs in prison. The levels of custody at the Mississippi State Penitentiary encompass minimum security all the way to maximum and death row. The Clarion Ledger has repeatedlyasked MDOC how many inmates have been injured and has not received a response. "Gang violence will not be tolerated in state prisons or on our streets.". Updated The number of correctional officers at MDOC has plummeted in recent years, according to a recent report by the Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting. "That's the first thing we need to do"to address the prison violence problem, he added. Several inmates were injured in the disturbance and one . "A lot of them are working two, 12-hour shifts. "Ain't no way they can run the prison system with the people they have working there and as many inmates they got.". ", But my department will not rush to release information for the sake of perpetuating rumors," Hall said. A man who confessed to brutally raping and killing a teenage girl stranded on the side of a Mississippi road more than two decades ago was executed by the state Wednesday. The starting salary for a correctional officer trainee is $25,650. Burton said corrections officials reported Carmen had been irate and throwing feces before his death. Another Mississippi inmate has died at the hands of a fellow inmate this week, authorities said Friday. Walter Earl Gates, 25, was killed late New Year's Eve in an incident at Parchman that left several others injured. The current system we have in place is not keeping anybody safe.