GDC prisons locked down statewide after multiple inmates injured in ‘gang-related’ fights
(WGXA) — All Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) prisons are under lockdown after a string of “gang-related” altercations across the state left multiple inmates injured.
A GDC spokesperson told WGXA that fights at Smith, Wilcox, Hays, and Valdosta State Prisons (SP) resulted in a total of five inmates being sent to the hospital with “non-life-threatening” injuries on Wednesday.
Early Thursday morning, six Dooly State Prison inmates were also taken to local hospitals, including three being transported via Life Flight, with “non-life-threatening” injuries from another altercation. This comes just over a week after another fight at the facility left five inmates injured on March 23.
At the time of this report, the GDC says that one inmate injured at Smith SP and another at Valdosta SP have returned to the facilities. While four of the six offenders injured at Dooly SP have also returned to the facility.
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The GDC says all of its incidents are believed to be “gang-related,” and “out of an abundance of caution,” all GDC facilities have been placed on lockdown until further notice.
This comes months after a “gang-affiliated disturbance” at Washington State Prison in Davisboro left four inmates dead and at least a dozen others injured in January.
WGXA reached out to learn how the lockdown would affect inmates and the everyday operations of the prisons, but has yet to receive a response.
All incidents remain under investigation, and the GDC had “no additional details to provide at this time.”
Stick with WGXA as we learn more and follow this story.