Lee Correctional Prison Riot
The Lee Correctional Prison Riot occurred at Lee Correctional in Bishopville, South Carolina, United States, on April 25, 2018. Starting as a prison cell robbery, violence between prison gangs intensified into a full-blown riot leading to the death of seven prisoners. It was the most violent prison riot in the United States within the last 25 years.[1]
 Lee Correctional Institution | |
| Date | April 15, 2018 |
|---|---|
| Location | Bishopville, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 42°50′59″N 78°16′18″W |
| Deaths | Seven prisoners stabbed to death |
| Non-fatal injuries | 22 prisoners taken to the hospital |
Lee Correctional
Lee Correctional is the largest prison for males in the state of South Carolina. It was built in the 1990s and is a high-security prison. The campus is split into two yards, the East and the West. The East Yard is considered less problematic and includes the character-based dorm where prisoners have less restrictions. The West Yard consists of the F-1, F-3, and F-5 housing units and is generally seen as the more dangerous of the two yards.[2]
The prison has issues with three prison gangs: the Bloods, the Gangster Disciples, and the Crips. The Bloods make-up the largest share of the prison population which has led to the Gangster Disciples and the Crips occasionally working together. The riot started in the F-3 housing unit and spread from there. Typically, the murdered inmates were members of one of three gangs however some were unaffiliated.
The riot
F-3
The riot began after prisoner Michael Milledge was fatally stabbed during a prison cell robbery in the F-3 Housing unit near the unit's common area called "the Rock." The assailant, Damonte Rivera, was a member of the Disciples. Rivera was confronted by a member of the Bloods and was fatally stabbed in the neck. This event led to weaponized prisoners rushing to the Rock while other prisoners fled to their prison cells.
F-5 and F-1
Violence escalated past the F-3 Unit and into subsequent prison wings. Some prisoners affiliated with the Gangster Disciples and the Crips sought Raymond Scott, a high-ranking Blood staying in the F-5 unit. Scott and inmate Joshua Jenkins were murdered as they attempted to flee knife-wielding inmates near the prison's gate.
After the killing of Raymond Scott, violence spread to the F-1 housing unit, the closest unit to the prison's administrative building. Members of the Crips living in F-1 were targeted in retribution for the murder of Scott.
References
- "Several inmates killed at S.C. prison after hours of fighting". NBC News. Retrieved 2019-12-11.
- Hawes, Jennifer (December 6, 2019). "How flaws in the SC prison system led to 7 deaths in a single night". Post and Courier. Retrieved 2019-12-11.