Ohio correctional officer killed on Christmas Day in ‘inmate attack,’ prison officials say

A correctional officer at a prison in Ohio he was killed on christmas day when an inmate attacked him, authorities said Wednesday.

The attack happened Wednesday morning at the Ross Correctional Institution in Chillicothe, located about 45 miles south of Columbus, according to records. a press release from the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. The press release identified the corrections officer killed in the attack as Andrew Lansing.

The inmate suspected of being behind the deadly attack has been transferred to another facility, ODRC director Annette Chambers-Smith said. The suspect had not been identified as of Thursday.

“Losing a staff member is difficult, but losing a family member on Christmas Day by someone in our custody is a tragedy beyond comprehension,” Chambers-Smith said in a prepared statement.

Ohio correctional officer killed on Christmas Day

Chambers-Smith described Lansing in her statement as “a long-time, well-respected employee of Ross.”

“His untimely death — on Christmas Day — is heartbreaking for his family, the entire Ross Correctional Institution family and our agency as a whole,” Chambers-Smith said in the statement. “Officer Lansing was loved by his colleagues … He was a friendly, outgoing officer who treated everyone with respect and was always a professional.”

It was not immediately clear how long Lansing had worked as a corrections officer.

USA TODAY left a message Thursday morning with ODRC seeking additional information.

“Please keep Officer Lansing’s family and loved ones in your thoughts and prayers during this devastating and tragic time,” Chambers-Smith concluded.

Ohio prison guard union leader calls for change

After Lansing’s death, the president of the union representing corrections officers called on state officials to institute changes to protect correctional officers.

Describing Lansing’s death as a “horrific and heartbreaking” reminder of what corrections officers face on the job, Ohio Civil Service Employees Association President Chris Mabe called on Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine to take action.

“We’re going to push and demand accountability,” Mabe told The Columbus Dispatch, a USA TODAY Network publication. “We are requesting action from the governor’s office.”

Issues such as understaffing and low pay have long plagued correctional work, Mabe said, as has increased drug use and violence among prison inmates.

“Our worst fears have come true once again: an officer was killed on Christmas Day,” Mabe said. “We believe that such things can be avoided in this department.”

USA TODAY left a message Thursday morning with a spokesman for DeWine seeking comment.

State Patrol to investigate correction officer’s death

While prison officials described Lansing’s death as the result of “an attack by an inmate,” additional details about the attack were not immediately released.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol is expected to investigate Lansing’s death. USA TODAY contacted the State Patrol Thursday morning.

Lansing is the second correctional officer to die in 2024 in Ohio, the Dispatch reported. Lt. Rodney Osborne of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction in the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility was fatally shot during a training exercise in April.

Contribute: Maria DeVitoColumbus Dispatch

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ohio corrections officer killed on Christmas Day in ‘inmate attack’