Oklahoma inmates, who held officer hostage, were upset their drug operation was derailed, jail admin says
The Oklahoma jail protest that saw a corrections officer held hostage last week was not really a protest against poor living conditions, according to the jail's administrator. Instead, inmates were allegedly upset that recent toilet repairs had thwarted their illicit drug operation within the facility.
Speaking to Fox 25 of Oklahoma City, Greg Williams, administrator of the Oklahoma County Detention Center, said that the inmates are saying "it's conditions, but that's absolutely not true."
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Williams explained that detainees would regularly flush drugs through the plumbing system to distribute them throughout the building. However, recent repairs at the prison had brought the operation to a screeching halt.
Williams said they just fixed the toilet system in the last week with CARES Act funds. He said inmates would flush drugs up and down the pipes to distribute it. Now, inmates can only flush the toilets twice before the water shuts off. (2/4) pic.twitter.com/fzo7QiKBmm
— Erika Stanish (@Erika_Stanish) March 30, 2021
This comes as the family of an inmate, who was shot and killed Saturday, has called for action against a city police chief and felony murder charges against the two officers involved in the shooting. Curtis Montrell Willams, 34 — who was awaiting trial on rape and gun-possession charges — was seen on video holding an object against the next of the corrections officer who was being held hostage. Williams was immobilized shortly after, but his family has now claimed he was only protesting against poor conditions inside the jail and didn't deserve to die.
"He shouldn’t have lost his life behind these conditions up in here and the stress he was under," Williams’ stepfather, Donald Lambert, said at a news conference outside the jail Monday. "I knew Curtis for 34 years and I know for sure that he would not just go out and kidnap anyone," his mother Rhonda Lambert added, as reported by The Oklahoman.
The devastated family called for Oklahoma City police Chief Wade Gourley to be fired and for felony murder charges to be brought against officers involved in the shooting death of the inmate. "We need to know (they’re going to be prosecuted for what (they’ve) done," Donald Lambert said, per the newspaper.
Williams was under "mental anguish" because of conditions inside the detention center, relatives said. He had been behind bars since April 2019, and his case was delayed partly due to the coronavirus pandemic, The Oklahoman reported.
The newspaper previously reported how the hostage drama played out on the 10th floor of the Oklahoma County Detention Center, where the jail's most difficult inmates are said to be housed.
In a press release, Oklahoma City police identified the officers involved in the shooting as Lt Coy Gilbert and Officer Kevin Kuhlman. Officials said they fired their weapons inside the jail after they "encountered inmate Curtis Williams who was holding a makeshift weapon to the throat of a detention officer."
As of now, both officers have been placed on administrative leave, per standard police protocol after shooting incidents.
According to The Oklahoman, Williams was the fifth inmate to die this year inside the facility. The jail was reportedly placed under the leadership of the Oklahoma County Jail Trist after the county sheriff's office lost oversight last July. There have been several complaints about the jail conditions, including bad food, insects, and poor sanitation.
Jail officials told Fox News that Daniel Misquez, the detention officer who was held hostage on Saturday, has been discharged from a hospital.