A stabbing reportedly occurred at a South Carolina prison on Monday, although there is no official confirmation yet from corrections officials – and no word yet on any injuries that may have been sustained in connection with the attack.
According to our sources, the incident took place in the Edisto dormitory of Lieber Correctional Institution, a level three (maximum security) facility in Ridgeville, S.C. operated by the S.C. Department of Corrections (SCDC).
This news outlet was provided with a video of the stabbing from a source inside the prison.
In the footage we were provided, a black male inmate wearing an all-orange SCDC jumpsuit is seen being attacked on a stairway by at least four other black male inmates wearing white shirts and orange pants.
The attack begins at the top of the staircase, with one of the white-shirted inmates holding the victim as his co-assailants alternately punch and/ or stab him. Another white-shirted inmate beats the victim over the head with what appears to be a wooden broom.
Take a look, although please be advised the video below contains violence and graphic language …
(Click to view)
(Via: Provided)
“They stabbing the sh*t out of him,” one of the inmates filming the incident observed, offering a grisly play-by-play of the carnage. “They stabbing the f*ck out of him.”
Another inmate caught up in the melee is pushed down the flight of stairs as the altercation escalates.
Ultimately, both of the inmates were able to walk away from the incident on their own power. According to a source familiar with the situation, the individual who was stabbed did not require outside medical attention for his injuries.
Still … disturbing.
Perhaps the most interesting/ disturbing part of the clip? An SCDC officer is seen in the video standing a few feet away from the altercation as it breaks out. This officer not only fails to intervene but actually turns and walks in the other direction.
Sources familiar with similar outbreaks of violence at other institutions tell us SCDC officers are routinely armed only with pepper spray – and in responding to attacks involving multiple inmates are often advised to wait for additional officers to arrive before engaging.
One possible silver lining from this incident (aside from the victim sustaining relatively minor injuries)? What may have precipitated it …
According to our sources, SCDC has engaged in an effective campaign to limit the amount of contraband flowing into Palmetto prisons. While good news in one sense, the campaign has resulted in inmates fighting more frequently over increasingly scarce prohibited items.
UPDATE: SCDC still has not publicly confirmed the Lieber stabbing, however the agency is reporting that an inmate at Broad River Correctional Institution outside of Columbia, S.C. has been hospitalized in connection with another “inmate-on-inmate altercation.” According to a tweet from the agency, that inmate was “seriously injured” in the altercation.
-FITSNews
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