MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. — An inmate is accused of shooting another inmate during transport to jail.
Two Mount Vernon Police officers were transporting five inmates to the Westchester County Jail on Oct. 16 when officers heard a single gunshot, police said during a news conference. The driver then drove the van back to the police department headquarters to assess the incident.
An inmate was found to be suffering from a gunshot wound to their leg. They were transported to a hospital for their injuries, police said.
The shooter, identified as a 32-year-old man who had been arrested in connection with a forcible touching incident, allegedly fired a .22-caliber Rohm revolver.
“The weapon had one spent round and four live rounds remaining,” Mount Vernon Police Chief Marcel Olifiers said. “The firearm has not been reported stolen, and a full trace is underway.”
The shooter had smuggled the gun on his body, Olifers said.
“Preliminary findings indicate the firearm should have been detected prior to the transport… The use of it was optional previously,” Olifiers said.
Olifiers said handheld wand searches will now be mandatory for all new inmate processings.
Two police officers have been assigned to desk duty as the investigation continues, Olifiers said.
The shooter faces additional charges, including assault in the first degree, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree.
| RELATED: In the video below, Lexipol co-founder Gordon Graham discusses safety considerations during inmate transport:
Do you think handheld wands should be standard for all inmate processings — or are there other, more effective ways to improve safety?
Corrections1 readers respond:
- Wands should be used, and if available, body scanners. Inmates going into the prison should be strip searched as well. Trust your instincts. If something feels off, it probably is, and your body is telling you to pay attention.
- Need to use a body scanner and strip searchers.
- All intakes/discharges should be strip searched
