South Carolina Prison Riot leaves 7 dead

Seven inmates of a South Carolina prison died and 17 are injured after a prison riot last week that lasted nearly seven hours, officials said Monday.

Authorities believe the fight started due to territorial gang issues present in the facility. Conflict began around 7:15pm and spread to three housing units with order being restored at 3am that night. The deaths were mainly due to stabbings, but an official autopsy is still underway. No officers were injured in the riot.

The 25-year-old South Carolina prison can hold up to 1,300 inmates, some of who are South Carolina’s most violent offenders. The prison has had several instances of insurrection in the past, with inmates overpowering and taking hostage a guard just three weeks prior.

The corrections department chief, Bryan Stirling, said in a news conference on Monday, “We gathered as many people as we could as quickly as we could and went in when we thought it was safe.” He also cited that illegal use of cellphones in the jails allowed for incarcerated gang leaders to continue criminal operations and may have contributed to the motive of these riots.