An unspecified incident at a prison in southeastern Colorado on Saturday left two inmates dead, injured a third and triggered a statewide freeze on prison visitation, according to state officials.
“The Colorado Department of Corrections maintains strict security protocols across all institutions,” department spokesperson Alondra Gonzalez said in a statement. “Out of an abundance of caution, the Department has temporarily suspended statewide visitation while supporting an ongoing investigation into an isolated incident at one facility. There are no known threats to the surrounding communities at this time.”
The fatal incident happened Saturday evening at the Bent County Correctional Facility, Gonzalez said. Additional information about what happened inside the prison and how the inmates died was not available on Sunday.
The two inmates who died have not been publicly identified. The injured inmate was taken to a hospital outside the prison for treatment, Gonzalez said.
As of Sunday, the Bent County Correctional Facility remained on lockdown status, and all visitation at Colorado Department of Corrections facilities had been suspended, Gonzalez said.
“This is a proactive measure to support our staff and those in our custody, and maintain a secure environment,” she stated. “We understand the impact this has on families, and we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.”
In a , department officials said visitation had been suspended to “continue meeting the needs of both staff and the inmate population while dedicating the necessary resources to” the investigation.
The Colorado Department of Corrections’ Office of the Inspector General will lead the investigation into the fatal incident.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
