A new report sheds light on what the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) called a "security incident" last month, which involved a prisoner with a gun who may have taken guards hostage.
A Donaldson Correctional Facility inmate serving life without parole for multiple homicides caught extra charges after going live on Facebook in August wearing a correctional officer's vest, holding a handgun and ranting about prison conditions.
The Jefferson County District Attorney's Office charged inmate Derrol Shaw with first-degree escape, promoting prison contraband, possessing contraband certain individuals are not allowed to have and terroristic threats.
Though the ADOC initially told the press that there was never a hostage situation, a recent report from Alabama Political Reporter, citing prison disciplinary reports, suggests that Shaw has been accused of holding multiple guards at gunpoint and forcing them into an office.
The report also cited notes from attorney visits, which suggest he may have obtained the firearm with the help of someone outside the prison, who threw the gun over the wall. The notes claim Shaw suffered a beating from officers while being transported to Kilby Correctional Facility in Montgomery County following his arrest due to this incident and again at Kilby.
Shaw is now in solitary confinement, the notes say.
Last month, Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles director Cam Ward told 1819 News solitary confinement or a "seg unit," is a possible punishment for troublesome inmates who can't be moved to a higher security prison. Donaldson is already a maximum security prison, and Shaw never had the opportunity of parole to begin with. Extra charges may add to his sentence, but it would be virtually the same in practice.
According to the report, Donaldson is still on lockdown. Another Donaldson prisoner committed suicide this week after he received a beating on Sunday.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email will.blakely@1819news.com or find him on Twitter and Facebook.
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