According to prison officials, a brawl broke out on Friday at the Lawton Correction and Rehabilitation Center, a privately run facility, located roughly 90 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.
"We had a group disturbance at LCRF which resulted in multiple inmates injured and two deaths," Kay Thompson, a spokesperson for the Corrections Department said. "It’s unknown at this time how many had minor injuries were treated at the facility."
The incident happened as a result of "an operational error," according to Thompson, who withheld further details.
The inspector general of the ODC is presently looking into the incident. She also mentioned that the facility has canceled visits for the duration of the weekend.
The brawl involved two gangs who were supposed to have been kept separate. Members of one of the gangs was let into the yard when members of the rival gang were already outside, which resulted in a fight.
The incident drew harsh criticism from state Rep. Justin Humphrey, who heads the House Criminal Justice and Corrections Committee, who has been outspoken about the management of the corrections system and previously has called for policy changes to better protect both DOC staff and inmates.
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