An Arkansas corrections officer was shot dead Wednesday night by a suspect being booked into the county jail.
While it isn’t clear what prompted the gunfire, Arkansas State Police said a 37-year-old man who was in the process of being booked into the Perry County Jail after an unrelated arrest was being held in connection with the shooting.
37-year-old Roderick Deshawn Lewis was being processed for a drug and paraphernalia charge when he fired a gun and hit 21-year-old detention officer Jeremiah Story, who was standing inside a jail bathroom as Lewis was changing out of his civilian clothes, according to a press release from state police.
“The gun reportedly used by Lewis was one he possessed when he arrived at the jail in the custody of local sheriff’s deputies,” the statement added.
Story was shot with a pistol as he stood in a bathroom where the inmate was changing out of civilian clothes into jail-issued attire.
A witness to the shooting was able to disarm Lewis who was later transferred to the Faulkner County Detention Center at Conway while state police special agents continue their investigation.
According to court documents, Lewis was already slated to face trial in November on charges of aggravated assault against a household member or family member and interference with emergency communication in connection with an event last year.
Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge offered her condolences to Story’s family in a news release on Thursday.
Lewis was charged with capital murder Thursday, and if convicted, he could face a life sentence or death penalty. He has since been transferred to the nearby Faulkner County Detention Center.
Sources: Breaking911, NBCnews
