‘Fortunate that he survived’: Union reveals details of assault on officers in Massachusetts prison

By Matt Reed and David Bienick

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    LANCASTER, Massachusetts (WCVB) — One Massachusetts correction officer was stabbed 12 times in the back, another was stabbed in the head, and three others were injured on Wednesday while trying to stop the attack, according to details provided by their union.

The assaults occurred at Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Lancaster at approximately 6:20 p.m., the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security said.

All five officers were transported to nearby hospitals for treatment.

Dennis Martin, president of the Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union, said Thursday that the officer who was stabbed 12 times remained hospitalized.

“I could see maybe an assault, somebody getting punched, but somebody getting stabbed 12 times, that’s not just sending a warning. That’s to kill somebody, 12 times stabbed in the back,” Martin said. “He was lucky, he was fortunate, he is fortunate that he survived this attack.”

“This was an attempted murder. This wasn’t an assault. They were going to try to kill this officer,” said Vincent Ruziak, a member of the union’s executive board.

The four other officers were treated and released, according to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security.

According to the union, Souza-Baranowski remained on lockdown as of Thursday morning. State officials described the situation as “modified operations.” Members of the Massachusetts State Police and Worcester County District Attorney’s Office are participating in the investigation.

According to state officials, prisoners associated with the incident were transferred to other facilities.

“We need to do all that we can to support those who are working in the facilities and those who are incarcerated in the facilities because we had another incident a few weeks ago involving an inmate,” Gov. Maura Healey said on Thursday.

“Our correction officers perform an essential and difficult job. Their safety is our top priority. I am deeply concerned about the incident at Souza Baranowski Correctional Center, which resulted in injuries to five correction officers,” DOC Interim Commissioner Shawn Jenkins said in a statement issued Thursday afternoon. “My thoughts are with the officers and their families at this time, and the Department offers our full support to the officers as they recover from their injuries. Violence against DOC staff is unacceptable, and we will take the steps necessary to ensure those responsible are held accountable under the law. Our Department will also conduct a thorough security assessment and review of protocols to ensure the safety and security of all who work and live at our facilities.”

“We’ve been warning this department for over two years, two years we’ve been warning them. The unfortunate thing here is this wasn’t an isolated attack here. This is an attempted murder on a correctional officer,” Martin said.

Some lawmakers are also raising calls for an investigation, including Rep. Michael Soter of Bellingham.

“I am outraged that we are here, again, after legislators have been begging for a thorough investigation into why these incidents continue and what steps have been taken to prevent them,” he said in a statement. “We cannot wait until there is a loss of life before we address this problem.”

Sen. Peter Durant, of Worcester, and union officials suggested that weapons used in the attack may have come from computer tablets issued to the inmates.

“They are tablets that they are able to smash,” Durant said. “And there’s a metal strip that exists within the tablets, which then they turn into a sharpened implement, a sharpened knife or something to stab with.”

The state began providing tablets to inmates in 2022 for education and job training. The devices are not connected to the internet.

The lawmakers we spoke with called for the devices to be immediately confiscated.

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