MN DOC Confirms 3 Corrections Officers Have Resigned
On Wednesday, an inmate at the Stillwater Prison attacked, and killed, Corrections Officer, Joseph Gomm. The inmate, identified as 42-year-old Edward Muhammad Johnson, was serving a sentence for the murder of 22-year-old Brooke Thompson, in 2002. She was staying in his apartment when he stabbed her to death.
Officer Gomm is believed to be the first Minnesota corrections officer who was killed in the line of duty. He was a 16 year veteran of the DOC. In response to the attack, the DOC put the prisons on lockdown. We have not yet heard if the lockdown was lifted. The inmate, Johnson, was transferred to the Oak Park Heights Facility.
Since the deadly attack on Wednesday, 3 Corrections officers have resigned, from 2 prisons in MN. DOC Officials have confirmed that the 3 CSO's, 2 from Stillwater, and 1 from Oak Park Heights, have submitted their resignations.
"The reason for resignation is not public, so I cannot share if they were related to the death of Officer Gomm," DOC spokesperson Sarah Fitzgerald said in an email.
Working in a prison can be a dangerous job, however, the DOC says that assaults on the staff are quite rare. It will be interesting to find out if the CSO's who resigned will share their reasons, or if they even need to. The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating the death of Corrections Officer Gomm.
Our prayers and thoughts go out to Officer Gomm's family and all of those who work in the prison system in MN.