Mississippi prison guard shot and killed by coworker, officials say

MERIDIAN, Miss. (AP) — A corrections officer was shot and killed by a colleague Tuesday after the two workers got into a fight in the parking lot of a Mississippi correctional facility, prison officials said.

Authorities were notified of a shooting outside the East Mississippi Correctional Facility in Lauderdale County on Tuesday afternoon. Lauderdale County Sheriff-Elect Ward Calhoun told WTOK-TV that both guards were on duty at the time of the shooting.

The private company that runs the facility, Management and Training Corporation, said in a statement that one of the guards was pronounced dead at the scene and that the other was arrested by Lauderdale County sheriff’s deputies.

“We are heartbroken to report a tragic and fatal altercation that occurred between two correctional officers at the East Mississippi Correctional Facility,” the statement reads. “The facility is fully cooperating with local law enforcement as they investigate what led to the altercation. Our hearts go out to the victim’s family.”

Neither guard was identified by authorities.

The episode will be examined by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation.