Man dies after fight with other inmates at South Carolina prison, officials say
An inmate at a South Carolina correctional institution died after a fight with other prisoners Wednesday, the Department of Corrections said.
Jamin Anderson, 32, was taken to a hospital where he died following a fight, spokesperson Chrysti Shain said in a news release.
The attack happened at Lee Correctional Institution, the same prison where seven inmates were killed during a violent incident in 2018. The prison is in Bishopville, about 50 miles east of Columbia.
Information on what led to Wednesday’s fight, and the number of inmates involved, was not included in the release.
An autopsy is scheduled, according to the release.
Anderson’s death is being investigated by the Department of Corrections Office of Investigations and Intelligence in addition to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, Shain said.
Anderson was serving a 15-year sentence for first-degree burglary, kidnapping, armed robbery, assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, criminal conspiracy, and a firearms provision, according to the release.
The Charleston man’s conviction stemmed from an arrest in 2012 following a violent home invasion in Beaufort County, WCSC reported.
Lee Correctional is a men’s-only, high-security institution that houses 1,324 inmates, according to the Department of Corrections. Like other Level 3 prisons in South Carolina, Lee is “designed primarily to house violent offenders with longer sentences, and inmates who exhibit behavioral problems,” the Department of Corrections said.
In addition to the seven inmates who were killed in the 2018 incident, 17 others were injured during the fights, The State reported. On Dec. 3, 2020, indictments were issued for 29 inmates at Lee Correctional for their roles in that riot.
In 2020, one inmate at Lee Correctional was killed by other prisoners.
Travis Antwan Lee, 28, was taken to a hospital where he died following an attack in November of last year, according to the Department of Corrections.
Lee Correctional has had other violent incidents over the years. The State previously reported there have been several large insurrections, including one in which an inmate overpowered a guard and used his keys to free other prisoners from their cells.
In February 2020, an inmate attacked and tried to sexually assault an employee at Lee Correctional, according to the Department of Corrections.
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This story was originally published January 28, 2021 at 10:05 AM with the headline "Man dies after fight with other inmates at South Carolina prison, officials say."
