Ohio corrections officer killed on Christmas Day in 'inmate assault,' prison officials say

Eric Lagatta and Max Filby, USA TODAY NETWORK

December 26, 2024 at 2:00 PM

A corrections officer at an Ohio prison was killed Christmas day when an inmate attacked him, authorities said Wednesday.

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

The inmate suspected of being behind the fatal assault has been transferred to another facility, ODRC Director Annette Chambers-Smith said. The suspect has not been identified as of Thursday.

"The loss of a staff person is difficult, but to lose a family member on Christmas Day at the hands of someone in our custody is a tragedy beyond comprehension," Chambers-Smith said in a prepared statement.

Ohio corrections officer killed on Christmas Day

Chambers-Smith described Lansing in her statement as "a long-time, well-respected employee at 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 the ODRC seeking additional information.

"We ask that you keep Officer Lansing's family and loved ones in your thoughts and prayers at this devastating and tragic time," Chambers-Smith concluded.

Ohio union leader for prison guards calls for change

Following Lansing's death, the president of the union representing corrections officers demanded state officials institute changes to protect corrections officers.

Describing Lansing's death a "horrendous and heart-wrenching" 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 insist and demand on accountability," Mabe told The Columbus Dispatch, a USA TODAY Network publication. "We're demanding action from the governor's office."

Problems like understaffing and low wages have long plagued corrections work, Mabe said, as has the rising drug use and violence among prison inmates.

"Our worst fears have come true once again: An officer was murdered on Christmas Day," Mabe said. "We think these kinds of things can be avoided in this department."

USA TODAY left a message Thursday morning with DeWine's spokesperson seeking comment.

State patrol to investigate corrections officer's death

While prison officials have described Lansing's death as the result of "an inmate assault," further details about the attack were not immediately released.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol is expected to investigate Lansing's death. USA TODAY reached out Thursday morning to the state patrol.

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

Contributing: Maria DeVito, Columbus Dispatch

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ohio corrections officer killed Christmas Day in 'inmate assault'