GLENNVILLE, Ga. (KeynoteUSA) — An inmate used a gun to kill a kitchen worker at a Georgia prison early Sunday before killing himself, state officials said.
The Georgia Department of Corrections said in a statement that it is investigating the deaths at Smith State Prison in rural southeast Georgia. The agency provided few immediate details, including how the inmate obtained a firearm.
The agency’s statement said inmate Jaydrekus Hart shot and killed a food service worker in the prison kitchen around 4:30 a.m. Sunday and then used the gun to kill himself.
“The weapon is in GDC custody at this time and a full and thorough investigation will be conducted into what led to this tragic incident,” the statement said.
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Agency spokeswoman Lori Benoit did not provide further information when contacted by phone. She said more details will be released when they become available.
The slain kitchen worker, 24-year-old Aureon Shavea Grace of Statesboro, had worked at the prison since January, according to the corrections department. She was employed by Aramark, a Philadelphia-based company that provides food services for prisons in Georgia and other U.S. states.
“We are heartbroken by the loss of our colleague and our hearts and prayers go out to her family,” Aramark spokeswoman Debbie Albert said in an emailed statement. “This is a tragedy for all of us.”
Albert said the company was assisting Georgia prison officials in their investigation.
It is the second murder of a Smith State Prison staff member in less than a year. Corrections officer Robert Clark, 42, died last October after an inmate he was escorting attacked him from behind with a homemade weapon.
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A state investigation into an extensive smuggling scheme inside the prison resulted in the arrest and firing of prison warden Brian Adams in February 2023. He was charged with extortion, bribery, making or writing false statements, and violating his oath as civil servant. .
Hart had been incarcerated since 2015 after being convicted in Carroll County of voluntary manslaughter and aggravated assault, according to online jail records. The earliest potential release date for it would have been in 2043.
Smith State Prison, which has a capacity of 1,500 inmates, is a tight-security prison that houses offenders considered violent or flight risks.
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