(BIG STONE GAP, Va.) — Three corrections officers at Wallens Ridge State Prison were stabbed by inmates in a “premeditated” attack Friday, according to the Virginia Department of Corrections.
A total of five officers were injured at the prison in western Virginia during the attack, according to the department. The officers were transported for medical care outside the facility.
Three officers have been discharged, the Virginia DOC said. Two officers are in stable condition.
The DOC alleged that five of the six perpetrators are “confirmed MS-13 gang members from El Salvador, who were in this country illegally,” according to a press release provided to ABC News.
Each of the suspects have been convicted of violent crimes, including aggravated murder, first and second degree murder and rape, according to the DOC.
The other inmate involved in the attack is a confirmed member of the Sureño 13 gang and from the U.S., serving a sentence for second degree murder.
“Five of the individuals responsible for this senseless attack should never have been in this country in the first place,” said Virginia DOC Director Chad Dotson in a statement.
“Every single day, our officers put their lives on the line to ensure public safety for the more than 8.8 million people across the Commonwealth,” Dotson said. “This attack is an example of the dangers they face when they show up to work every day. Our officers are heroes, and I commend the team at Wallens Ridge for their swift response.”
Dotson also included an “unofficial” statement saying, “our dedicated staff deserves a Director who makes it crystal clear that the safety of our officers is our highest priority, over literally anything else we’re doing,” adding that “this will not stand.”
The attack is currently under investigation, and no further response will be provided until the investigation is complete, DOC officials said.
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