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>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>BAYPORT, Minn. (WCCO) — Minnesota’s prison system is still on lockdown after an officer was attacked and killed at the Stillwater prison. Officer Joseph Gomm was attacked Wednesday afternoon in the prison’s industry building. He was later pronounced dead at the hospital. Sources say the man who attacked Gomm was an inmate named Edward Johnson. He is serving a nearly 29-year sentence for second-degree murder. Prison records show Johnson murdered a woman he lived with in 2002. WCCO is being told he was transferred to a maximum security prison after Wednesday’s attack. Gomm was unarmed. Prison officials say officers at the prison are given pepper spray and radios. Sources say Johnson used a hammer to attack Gomm. When officers responded, they say other inmates blocked the door so they couldn’t immediately get inside. Just a day before his death, Gomm celebrated 16 years with the department of corrections. The head of the state’s prison system, DOC Commissioner Tom Roy, said he believes this is the first corrections officer killed in the line of duty. Roy was visibly emotional when he gave a press conference early Wednesday evening in St. Paul. “Officer Gomm was a fine man doing honorable work,” Roy said. “We are visiting emotions that we have not visited before.” Gomm is survived by two family members. A source, who at one point worked with Gomm, described him as caring and confident, and someone who pointed out what corrections officers should do to protect themselves. Joseph Gomm’s commitment, sacrifice and devotion to duty serve to remind us all of the dangers associated with working in an incarceration facility. Keeping CO Gomm’s family, friends and co-workers in my thoughts and prayers today. https://t.co/Iqxz5MZdJK — Rich Stanek (@stanekmn) July 19, 2018 There have been numerous attacks on officers at Minnesota prisons this year, including Stillwater. When WCCO-TV last looked at attacks at Stillwater in late March, offenders had attacked 17 officers. WCCO’s John Lauritsen spoke with Gomm’s family Thursday, who are grieving, and said he will be deeply missed. A retired corrections officer, who briefly knew Gomm, said that although he didn’t know him well, the criminal justice system is a big family and they lean on each other every day for support.<doc-sep>MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A corrections officer is dead after being attacked by an inmate Wednesday afternoon at Minnesota Correctional Facility-Stillwater. Sources tell WCCO that Officer Joseph Gomm was attacked with a hammer by an inmate, who was also confirmed to WCCO as Edward Muhammad Johnson. Officials say the attack happened at about 1:30 p.m. in the industry building, where inmates have work assignments in things like welding and carpentry. A source said other inmates blocked the door when officers responded. DOC Commissioner Tom Roy said Gomm was not armed. “The typical officer is issued what’s called pepper spray and radios. And when something bad goes down, the team is summoned and other officers are summoned, and it’s a fairly rapid response,” Roy said. Gomm was rushed to Regions Hospital in St. Paul, where he was pronounced dead. The prison has been on lockdown since the deadly attack. Johnson, 42, has been serving time for the 2002 murder of a woman with whom he shared a home. He was transferred to a maximum security prison after the attack. Commissioner Roy was visibly emotional when he gave a press conference early Wednesday evening in St. Paul. “Officer Gomm was a fine man doing honorable work,” Roy said. “We are visiting emotions that we have not visited before.” He said he believes this is the first time an inmate has killed a corrections officer at Stillwater prison. Roy said Gomm, who is survived by two family members, had just reached his 16-year anniversary as an officer. “The time today, I hope, will be focused on the family and their loss. I hope we can focus our efforts on the staff and their feelings, because really, that is our priority at this time,” he said. On social media, those who worked with Gomm shared gratitude for knowing him. One woman wrote on Facebook, “He worked in my unit for years and made sure I got out safely to see my loved ones every day. I never let a day go by where I didn’t thank him for that!” A source, who at one point worked with Gomm, described him as caring and confident, and someone who pointed out what corrections officers should do to protect themselves. Outside Officer Gomm’s home in Blaine, neighbors were coming to terms with the news. “I think it’s terrible and I think most of the people here think it’s really horrible,” said neighbor Mary Olson. “Nobody deserves to die in such a way.” There have been numerous attacks on officers at Minnesota prisons this year, including Stillwater. When WCCO-TV last looked at attacks at Stillwater in late March, offenders had attacked 17 officers. Stillwater is the state’s largest close-security prison for male felons. There are approximately 1,600 inmates there. State Representative Jack Considine calls the safety and security of officers paramount, and now questions the program’s vetting process. “You dance a fine line. You want inmates to learn new skills, you want them to be better prepared when they leave the facilities, to lead productive tax-paying lives, but then you end up with an inmate with a hammer in his hand,” Considine said. Officials have put all of Minnesota state prisons on lockdown out of what they call an “abundance of caution” until they determine if this was in fact an isolated incident. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is leading the investigation.<doc-sep>
Image 1 of 2 ▼ A corrections officer at the state prison in Stillwater, Minnesota was attacked and killed by an inmate Wednesday afternoon. At 1:30 p.m., Corrections Officer Joseph Gomm was attacked by an offender in the industry building of Minnesota Correctional Facility-Stillwater, according to a news release. He was taken to Regions Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. “The corrections family is reeling from this incident,” said Commissioner Tom Roy of Minnesota Department of Corrections. “We are not accustomed to losing staff. Officer Gomm was a fine man doing honorable work.” Gomm had been a corrections officer at the prison for 16 years. Roy says he believes this is the first time in history a Minnesota corrections officer has been killed in line of duty. "I've had some tough days in this career," Roy said. "We have lost staff to suicide, we have lost staff to accidents, it is a tough day to lose people." Commissioner Roy says the attack happened in an industry building where inmates work to earn extra money. “Industry building functions as such since the turn of the century,” he said. “We have a welding shop there. Carpentry programs. Those work assignments are considered a bonus to many offenders who are doing time. They like to work and like to have income.” The offender, identified by authorities as Edward Muhammad Johnson, was serving time for homicide. Commissioner Roy says there are more than 1,600 inmates in the prison and about a third of them are serving sentences for murder. He says many also suffer from mental illness and have histories of chemical dependency and erratic behavior. “It’s impossible for us to attribute motive to the individual we are looking at right now,” said Commissioner Roy. “Impossible for me to comment on anonymous person.” Roy says the state prison system is down 150 officers and he couldn't get additional state funding to address it, but he says it’s too soon to tell if Gomm's death can be attributed to a staffing shortage. “I'm not going to prioritize what's the toughest day of my career, but this is a bad day folks,” he said. Three weeks ago, a corrections officer was seriously attacked by an offender at the prison in Oak Park Heights, putting the facility into lockdown. According to a release, the officer fought back and was then assisted by several other officers. The officer's injuries were not life-threatening. Johnson was serving a life sentence for aiding and abetting second-degree murder Governor Mark Dayton released the following statement regarding the death of Joseph Gomm: “I am appalled at the horrific murder of Officer Joseph Gomm. 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. “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.”