WYOMING COUNTY/Five inmate on inmate fights occur at Wyoming Correctional Facility in one day

Press release

For Immediate Release

August 17, 2023

Attica, NY – Five inmate on inmate fights occurred in one day at the medium security correctional facility that staff believe were all gang related assaults, resulting in several inmates being cut with make-shift weapons.

Two make-shift weapons were recovered during searches after the fights.

A six man inmate fight occurred on the walkway to the mess hall with one inmate needing to be treated at a local hospital after being cut with a make-shift weapon.

Initially, the officer assigned to the walkway observed five inmates attacking one inmate. Orders were given to stop fighting and the inmates complied. Once separated, the inmate who was initially attacked, was observed with a laceration to his face.

After the fight was broken up, staff recovered a sharpened tooth brush from one of the inmate’s cubes.

The second altercation occurred in one of the facility dorms. An officer at her officer station heard a commotion and observed one inmate on top of another inmate in one of the cubes and making slashing motions. The officer called for a response. She responded to the cube. When she approached, the inmate that was making the slashing motions ran off. She found the second inmate on the ground, with three lacerations to his face. The inmate told the officer he was sleeping when he was attacked and was cut with an unknown weapon.

The inmate was transferred to an outside hospital for treatment. A follow-up investigation determined the assault was gang related.

A multiple man inmate fight broke out in another dorm at the facility. Four inmates were observed exchanging punches. Staff gave orders for the inmates to cease fighting and two inmates complied. Two inmates continued to fight and OC spray was administered with the desired effect. All four inmates were handcuffed and escorted from the dorm.

In the same dorm and unrelated to the previous fight, staff observed two inmates exchanging punches, with one inmate swinging a sock with an object in it. Staff used body holds to stop the fight and get the inmates separated. A padlock was located inside of the sock used in the attack. Both inmates were handcuffed and brought to the infirmary for evaluation.

The last fight occurred in another dorm. An officer observed six inmates exchanging punches. He called for a response and gave the inmates orders to stop fighting. Four inmates complied. Two inmates continued to fight. The officer administered OC spray, which was effective. Once the fighting ceased, the inmates were handcuffed and escorted from the dorm.

A search of one inmate’s cube recovered a sharpened metal shank from on top of his locker.

Staff determined that all five fights were a result of on-going gang conflict. Three inmates involved in the fights were transferred to other facilities. Two inmates were transferred to Groveland Correctional Facility and one inmate was transferred to Attica.

The inmates that remained at Wyoming were placed in Special Housing Units and face disciplinary charges in the attacks.

“Thankfully, at least in this latest violence, no staff were injured. Regardless, in one day at Wyoming, having six multi-man inmate on inmate fights, many armed with weapons, is too many! Gang violence, drugs, weapons and attacks on staff are running rampant in all of our facilities with no end in sight. Couple that with staffing issues and mandatory overtime, our members are being pushed to the brink. Despite the inaction and silence by our State Legislators to address the on-going violence, our members continue to be the professionals that they never get credited for. Policies need to change immediately to make prisons safer. Our members, and all the staff who work in state prisons, deserve no less. ”– stated Kenny Gold, NYSCOPBA Western Region Vice President.