An inmate serving time for murder killed a corrections officer at the Stillwater state prison on Wednesday, officials say. Officer Joseph Gomm was attacked by the lone inmate with a weapon at 1:30 p.m., according to a statement released by the Minnesota Department of Corrections. Gomm was rushed to Regions Hospital in St. Paul, where he was pronounced dead. “The corrections family is reeling from this incident,” Corrections Commissioner Tom Roy said at a news conference in St. Paul. “We are not accustomed to losing staff. … This is a bad day.” Roy said he believes Gomm is the first corrections officer killed in the line of duty in Minnesota. Gomm, who celebrated his 16th anniversary at the department on Tuesday, was working in the prison’s industry building when he was attacked. This building houses areas for carpentry, welding and other work assignments for the inmates, Roy said. He did not specify where in the building the attack on Gomm took place. Corrections officers are not armed with guns, but they do carry pepper spray and radios to call for assistance, Roy said. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension was on scene investigating the incident Wednesday evening. As a precaution, all prisons in the Department of Corrections system were placed on lockdown after the attack, Roy said. Roy said counselors and clergy members were at the prison, which is located in Bayport, to counsel staff. INMATE IDENTIFIED Officials did not release the name of the inmate suspected in the attack, but KSTP-TV and WCCO-TV identified him as Edward Muhammad Johnson. Johnson attacked Gomm with a hammer, according to the KSTP report. Johnson, 42, is serving a 29-year sentence for the 2002 murder of his girlfriend, Brooke Elizabeth Thompson. The son of two Chicago police officers, Johnson was 12 when he witnessed his father shoot his mother six times before turning the gun on himself. Fourteen years after their murder-suicide, Johnson stabbed Thompson to death in his Bloomington apartment. When the BCA completes its investigation of Gomm’s death, the case will be referred to the Washington County Attorney’s Office, which will be responsible for filing any charges against Johnson. Gov. Mark Dayton said he was “appalled” by Gomm’s “horrific murder.” “On behalf of all Minnesotans, I offer my deepest sympathies to Officer Gomm’s family, friends, and fellow corrections officers,” he said in a statement. “We are all indebted to the courageous corrections officers and other state employees, who risk their safety in Minnesota’s prisons to ensure the safety of their colleagues, our communities and the inmates themselves. Minnesotans are grateful for your selfless service, and we mourn with you the loss of your colleague and friend.” MINNESOTA PRISONS UNDERSTAFFED The Minnesota Department of Corrections-Stillwater houses 1,616 male inmates; 527 of them are incarcerated for homicide, Roy said. A recent analysis found the Department of Corrections was understaffed and needed to add about 150 officers systemwide, Roy said. He noted that a request to the Minnesota Legislature for a staffing increase went unfulfilled last session, but he added that it was not clear whether Gomm’s death could be attributed to staffing levels. Roy said “erratic behavior is not uncommon” among inmates, and that assaults on prison staff and on other inmates occur regularly. A corrections officer at the prison was assaulted earlier this year. The nearby Minnesota Correctional Facility-Oak Park Heights was placed on lockdown in June after an inmate attacked a corrections officer, causing serious injuries, officials said then. In March, assaults by inmates at the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Oak Park Heights sent 10 employees to the hospital — more injuries than in the previous five years combined. RELATED: Violence spikes at prison, and the search for causes is urgent “Day in and day out, our staff are doing very incredible work,” Roy said. The Minnesota Law Enforcement Memorial Association has found no record of another corrections officer killed in the state, said Jeff Beahen, the group’s president. Corrections officers are considered public safety officers under state law, but Beahen said he doesn’t know how long that has been case, and that may have affected record-keeping about line-of-duty deaths. “Our hearts are very heavy today to know that an offender took advantage of an unarmed correctional officer while they’re in there protecting other offenders and the prison itself,” said Beahen, who is also the Rogers police chief. Related Articles Disgruntled worker who killed 9 appeared to target victims 9-year-old girl dies 12 days after being shot in Minneapolis, police say Five members of the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office leading criminal justice reform Trump supporter who assaulted elderly couple over political sign pleads guilty Woodbury: Mother charged with second-degree attempted murder The last line-of-duty death in Minnesota was in September. Wayzata Officer Bill Mathews was killed when he was removing debris from a highway and he was struck by a motorist who was on drugs and texting behind the wheel. AFSCME Local 600, the union representing Gomm and other corrections officers in Stillwater, offered its sympathy and support to his family Wednesday evening. “We are grieving the tragic loss of Brother Joseph Gomm,” the union said in a written statement. “Our hearts are heavy for his family, friends, and co-workers. … We also offer our deepest sympathy to all who were touched by this wonderful man.” Pioneer Press reporter Mara Gottfried contributed to this article.<doc-sep>MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — WCCO has learned some Stillwater corrections officers are quitting their jobs after the deadly attack of an officer. Joe Gomm died Wednesday after an inmate beat him with a hammer inside the prison workshop. Some corrections officers told us top management ignored their mounting safety concerns. WCCO sat down with one officer who told her he had no choice but to call it quits. The two words entered his mind just as soon as Joe Miller heard the news: That the corrections offer who trained him, Joe Gomm, was gone. “I’m done,” Miller said. “I had to quit for my own sanity,” he added. Miller spent 13 years guarding some of Minnesota’s most dangerous criminals. He spent the last four as a sergeant. Miller walked away from a $60,000 a year salary, benefits and a pension without a plan B. “The writing has been on the wall for the last year,” Miller said. Miller, like many current and retired corrections officers, told WCCO they considered the inmate-to-staff ratio unsafe for some time. Even seven years ago, when we profiled sudden violence at prisons, another officer shared this warning: “We keep getting more and more inmates to Stillwater and not enough corrections officer someone is going to get hurt or killed,” that officer told us back then. Inside the workshop, where Gomm was attacked, we’re told one officer watched 37 inmates. At least a 10,000 square foot space, they say, with no security cameras. “He was a brother in arms there and he’s dead and I blame the DOC and our administration,” Miller said. Miller says he couldn’t take the panic attacks anymore, and that he felt liked he’d grown into a different person. At a job where he says he felt all too often like the prisoner. “It messes with you,” he said. A spokesperson with The Department of Corrections says between Stillwater and Oak Park Heights there have been a total of three resignations since Wednesday. Officer Gomm’s funeral will be held Thursday, July 26 at North Heights Lutheran Church in Arden Hills. As of Friday evening, a GoFundMe account has raised nearly $18,000 for his family so far. Gomm’s family released this statement Friday: The family of Joseph Gomm would like to express how devastated and deeply saddened we are by the senseless and tragic loss of our son, brother, brother-in-law, cousin and uncle who gave the ultimate sacrifice while in the line of duty. We wish to thank everyone for the overwhelming love, kindness and support during this incredibly difficult time. We would like to acknowledge the gracious outreach and support from Joe’s Corrections family, especially his colleagues at the Minnesota Correctional Facility Stillwater. In addition, we are humbled by the offers to support our family and assist in planning Joe’s celebration of life by the Minnesota law enforcement community as well as the corrections and law enforcement community nation-wide. Special thanks to all those corrections family who have spent countless hours keeping vigil with Joe while we prepare to celebrate his life. Our pain is indescribable, but we take comfort in knowing how many people loved Joe as much as we did and how many of his friends and colleagues share our devastation and grief. As we prepare to lay Joe to rest, we ask for privacy for our family.<doc-sep>MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — WCCO-TV has learned more about the Stillwater prison inmate accused of killing Corrections Officer Joseph Gomm. Edward Muhammad Johnson is serving nearly 29 years for second-degree murder. The Minnesota Department of Corrections transferred him to the maximum-security prison in Oak Park Heights after Wednesday’s killing. Johnson’s criminal history begins with the murder in 2002 — but WCCO-TV has discovered that is not where it ends. Read More: Stillwater Prison Officer’s On-Duty Death Is 1st On Record “This inmate was actually convicted of assaulting a guard at Hennepin County Jail,” said DOC Commission Tom Roy. In that case, Johnson struck a detention deputy that resulted in cut under his left eye. According to court documents, it happened while Johnson was awaiting trial for the 2002 murder of Brooke Thompson, a woman he lived with. A jury convicted him of stabbing her to death. Her 5-year-old daughter witnessed Johnson banging her head on the bathroom door the night before her body was found in the bathtub. Once inside the prison system, Roy said Johnson has had trouble. “The discipline record of this individual is significant. He has served about 1,700 days in segregation,” Roy said. But in 2004, it was Johnson at the center of a brutal attack in Stillwater prison, where he lost his right eye. He sued the DOC for failing to protect him from another inmate. A jury awarded him half a million dollars, most of which went to the family of his murder victim. A source told WCCO-TV that Johnson had not been in separation or solitary confinement for two years. A family member told WCCO-TV Thursday that Johnson’s parents were police officers who died in a murder-suicide in the late 80s, part of which he witnessed. Wednesday’s murder happened in a place where inmates work in welding and carpentry. A source told WCCO-TV that Johnson used a hammer against Officer Gomm. Roy explained why Johnson was allowed in the work program. “We have an individual who for a length of time demonstrated relatively good behavior, and we have a limited pool of employees to draw from,” Roy said. DOC officials acknowledge that there is a staffing shortage in the prison system, citing a national study from 2015 that found system-wide they are in need of at least 150 more corrections officers in Minnesota — and 27 officers in Stillwater alone. The DOC said it has presented this information to state lawmakers. Since 2011, Minnesota DOC has requested funding for 187 more prison officials. To date, they have only received funding for 15.<doc-sep>The DOC says Corrections Officer Joseph Gomm was attacked in an industrial building at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday. STILLWATER, Minn. - The Minnesota Department of Corrections says an officer was killed in an attack by an inmate at the Stillwater prison. The DOC says Corrections Officer Joseph Gomm was attacked in an industrial building at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday. He was rushed to Regions Hospital where he was pronounced dead. "Joseph gave the ultimate sacrifice while working to protect the citizens of Minnesota. He had been with us for 16 years," an email about the incident reads. The DOC says the inmate behind the attack was serving time for homicide. Minnesota Corrections Commissioner Tom Roy said the attack involved a weapon, but did not go into further detail. “I am appalled at the horrific murder of Officer Joseph Gomm," said Governor Mark Dayton. "On behalf of all Minnesotans, I offer my deepest sympathies to Officer Gomm’s family, friends, and fellow Corrections Officers. We pray that they find strength and solace at this very difficult time. KARE 11 contacted Gomm's brother on Facebook, but he indicated the family is not yet ready to speak publicly about his death. "Joe's family is not inclined to make any statements at this time... Thank You," Gomm's brother wrote. “We are all indebted to the courageous Corrections Officers and other state employees, who risk their safety in Minnesota's prisons to ensure the safety of their colleagues, our communities, and the inmates themselves. Minnesotans are grateful for your selfless service, and we mourn with you the loss of your colleague and friend,” Dayton continued. In a news conference, Commissioner Roy said, at this time, he wants to be focused on the family and their loss. Stillwater prison currently has 1,616 offenders. Of them, 527 are doing sentences for homicide, according to Roy. "We have assaults on staff, but really, the loss of Officer Gomm is at a level that I have not seen before," Roy said.<doc-sep>
Image 1 of 2 ▼ Edward Muhammad Johnson, 42, is accused of attacking and killing Corrections Officer Joseph Gomm at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Stillwater, Minnesota Wednesday afternoon. Photo courtesy of the Minnesota Department of Corrections. Authorities have identified the offender who attacked and killed a corrections officer at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Stillwater, Minnesota as 42-year-old Edward Muhammad Johnson. On Wednesday afternoon, Johnson attacked Corrections Officer Joseph Gomm in the industry building of the prison, where offenders get privileges in the industrial arts, including carpentry and welding. Gomm was taken to Regions Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Johnson is serving a nearly 29-year sentence for the 2002 murder of 22-year-old Brooke Thompson. Police said he stabbed Thompson to death in the bathroom of his apartment, where she was living with him at the time, with her five-year-old daughter nearby. While in the Hennepin County Jail for that crime, Johnson ignored orders to stay out of an area of the jail and punched a deputy, cutting his eye. Two years later Johnson lost his own right eye when another inmate at Stillwater attacked him with a homemade knife. Johnson received 540 days in solitary for that fight. Officials say Johnson later lost his eye in a prison altercation and had a long discipline record. “The discipline record of the individual is significant,” said Dept. of Corrections Commissioner Tom Roy. “He has served about 1,700 days in segregation at different stages.” Commissioner Roy explained that Johnson had shaped up over the last couple years, earning workhouse privileges in the prison’s industrial unit where inmates have access to tools in trades like welding and carpentry. "Is this a game changer? It is an element that will certainly color the future,” said Commissioner Roy. “We have an individual who demonstrated good behavior. We have a limited pool of employees to draw from." Authorities have said corrections Officer Joseph Gomm was killed with some type of weapon, but did not give any more details as they prepare for a potential first degree murder charge against Johnson. “We want the world to know you can’t do this kind of crime anywhere in the country,” said Washington County Attorney Pete Orput. “And I do not care that it occurred in prison. In fact, it makes it more egregious. So we are going to bring everything we can in the fastest way possible.” Prison records show Johnson was transferred to the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Oak Park Heights, the state’s only Level Five maximum security prison, following Wednesday’s attack. The Stillwater prison remains on lockdown 24 hours after the attack out of an abundance of caution. “Staff of course still struggling at our Stillwater facility, very heavy situation,” said Commissioner Roy. “We have counselors on site.” This is believed to be the first time in history a Minnesota corrections officer has been killed in the line of duty.