Maryland Inmate Allegedly Kills Officer

Published: 1/28/06, 8:25 PM EDT

HAGERSTOWN, Md. (AP) - A corrections officer who was shot in the face by a hospitalized inmate has died of his injuries, officials said Saturday, and union leaders are demanding a review of the department's staffing policies.

Jeffery Alan Wroten, 44, was the only officer guarding inmate Brandon Morris at Washington County Hospital early Thursday when he was shot.

Morris somehow grabbed the officer's gun about 5 a.m., and during a struggle for control, fired into Wroten's face, said corrections commissioner Frank C. Sizer Jr.

No one else in the hospital was injured, but the 20-year-old inmate escaped and forced a taxi driver at gunpoint to drive north until the taxi crashed. Morris escaped on foot but was quickly captured.

Gov. Robert Ehrlich praised Wroten on Saturday as "a pillar of strength to others, always willing to lend a helping hand to those in need," and he ordered state flags to be flown at half-staff in the officer's honor.

Wroten, who died on Friday, had been assigned to the medium-security Roxbury Correctional Institution in Hagerstown, where Morris was serving an eight-year sentence for assault, robbery and handgun convictions.

Morris is now in a maximum-security facility. He had not been charged in Wroten's shooting Saturday, but Sizer said he considers it a capital offense.

In Maryland, the death penalty is reserved for cases of first-degree murder, either premeditated or during the commission of a felony.

Morris had been admitted to the hospital for an injury that prison officials have refused to publicly disclose, however The (Baltimore) Sun reported Saturday that Mary Ann Saar, secretary of the state Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, told senators that it was a self-inflicted wound - a needle stabbed into his chest.

Sizer and Saar's spokesman Mark Vernarelli said they couldn't verify the report.

The shooting has prompted corrections officers' unions to demand a review of security policies for hospitalized inmates, including a rule that just one officer stand guard instead of two.

"Even though the inmate pulled the trigger, the administration has to fully look at how the short-staffing impacted this situation. I truly believe that had there been two officers, this wouldn't have happened," said Janet Anderson, a spokeswoman for the Maryland Classified Employees Association.

Greg Massoni, an Ehrlich spokesman, said it was the wrong time to discuss policy and politics.

"I would ask the union to respect the families at this time as well, and not throw that kind of stuff into the mix," he said.

In a public statement released by the corrections department, an unidentified sister of Wroten said the officer's organs had been donated.

"Jeffery is my hero, and this is the best way to honor him," she said.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I hope this is a wake-up call for the prison administration. Short staffed or not, improvements need to be made. A inmate with a history of assault and gun convictions should have had 2 officers guarding him. He also should have been handcuffed to the bed and there was no mention of that in the article...things that make ya go hmmm

I look forward to the investigation as to how it happened. I think it wrong to assume that there needs to be more guards just yet.

As for the perp -- I hope the SOB gets fried extra crispy. We'll see if he's spitting and giving the finger then.

Too bad he didn't threaten the apprehending officers and get filled with 00 buck.

I read that he was sent to Balt. I wonder why they didn't send him back to RCI, maybe they were afraid he would fall down some steps.

He is at the Super Max. In PC lock up.

Should be in the morgue. Scum like this doesn't deserve to live a second longer.

Agreed.


With every fiber of my being I hope he fries. I could watch it.

My deepest sympathy to the family and friends of Mr. Wroten.

I read in the paper today that the States Attorney is waiting until the full investigation is complete to send it to the Grand Jury for an indictment. He then will see if it warrants the death penalty.

??????????????????????????????????????????

What the *&^%?

This should be an automatic death sentence. No appeal process. He's guilty of killing a Correctional Officer!
And before anyone says anything, yea, it doesn't matter who he killed. The fact is he took a life and now must pay for it with his own.

They should convict him, ( I mean he is guilty, the officer didn't take his own gun and shoot himself in the face) take him down in front of RCI and put a 25cent re-load in his head. Period! Televise it and let those scumbags out there know that we are a society that is tired of the crime, the killing, the drug dealing, the child abusers..etc. The problem is that we as a society have far too long taken the side of the wrong doer and let our hearts bleed all over the place for their plight. We have become a nation of political correctness and we have failed and will continue to fail our children and our childrens children.

I heard that he pulled the weapon on the police at Fed Ex where he was apprehended. It's a crying shame that they didn't go ahead and save the tax payers money right then and there.

Do you have any idea how much tax payer money will be wasted for the next 13 to 18 years on this piece of $hit?

I can't believe that they won't release what procedure he was having done at the hospital. In the past they have actually paid for these guys to be circumcised. That too requires a stay in the hospital. Do you think that they are leary of printing this information for fear of a huge out pouring of disbeliefe that they would have an officer killed over a simple procedure that probably didn't need to be done?

When I was a correctional officer I did hospital duty, it was good duty to pull on overtime. I never was armed. It was just one of those things that you didn't do back then. You had a set of cuffs, mace and a radio. The inmate was always restrained, both at the ankles and wrist.

It sickens me that some low life piece of scum doing 8 years kills a correctional officer and then still gets three hots and a cot.

Following are rumors I have heard through the grapevine:

- he was getting an x-ray b/c he was complaining of stomach problems
- the officer was not going to make it and they were keeping him alive long enough for his parents to fly back from Florida to say good-bye
- the inmates in December made pact to kill one officer per month in opposition to something (not sure what)

Maybe he will get the big hot this time!!!

Let me start by making it clear that what I am about to write is hearsay. It is the word from one person to another several times over. The prisoner ( being treated for a self inflicked stab wound) was shackled in the hospital. He was granted his "right" to be unshackled in order to go to the bathroom. Wonder why he was not given a urinal or bedpan to perform his natural function? If it was medically necessary for him to be in the hospital, it would have been in his best interest to stay in bed to perform this bathroom function. Where did this practice come from that prisoners have "rights"... ? I thouglht the rights were dropped at the prisoner door.

Hi Bob

I could not agree more with what you have said here. I really think the police fell down on the job here. It was reported he was armed when captured. They should have taken him out period. Maybe those officers need to get some better training from a few of the old time cops instead of the political correctness police we have now.

Tony

I'm in agreement with the nurse who spoke up in the Herald Mail on "You Said It." Generally, I only read that feature for entertainment purposes, but she made what I thought to be a good point. The hospital has a No Weapons policy, but this does not apply to police, prison guards, etc. I'm not trying to make this a post for gun control, but if the weapon had to be checked at the desk, then the officer would still be alive, and even if this a$$hat had escaped, at least he would have been unarmed (for the moment anyway). Had there been no gun, perhaps the inmate would have never even made the attempt.

Just food for thought. It changes nothing, but maybe gives us something to think about going forward. I agree, the guy should fry and I can't imagine the devestation for the officer's family.

You're kidding, right? Fell down on the job??? You're mad because they didn't kill a suspect, and instead, took him alive and brought him to justice? They did their job and this is your response? This is the mentality that some of our once and aspiring local politicians share? The police are not executioners. Please join us in the 21st century.

Sorry about the slight hijiack. I don't want to disrespect this discussion about this brave Correctional Officer. My thoughts are with his family and friends.

I understand the concern, but what is the hospital doing to ensure that their "no weapons" policy is being enforced on non-law enforcement officers. If the hospital can ensure that nobody else has a weapon, then fine, maybe it wouldn't be necessary for officers to be armed in the hospital. The hospital doesn't have a good track record with keeping it weapons free. Remember they had a patient pull a gun a year or so ago and shoot off a round in the elevator while wrestling with their security?

The hospital has no means of screening out guns entering the hospital. I've walked into the hospital numerous times with my legally carried and concealed handgun and have never been challenged by security or staff.

Someone should do something about that -- NOT!!!!!

SMan

1st I did not advocating "executing" this person. To execute someone they have to be helpless and have no means to fight back. This suspect was armed and he was dangerous. The police would have been justified in shooting the little S.O.B. I am sorry if you or others have taken offense to what I have said. We are all angry over this officers needless death.

Once in awhile I do tend to get angry and something like this does bring out that anger. I hope he burns in hell but in all honesty I suspect he will have a lawyer paid by us who will say that he was under the influence of narcotics the hospital gave him and he was not in control. Unfortunately someone on a jury might just buy that.


Tony

I've been told that the leg irons were still attached to the bed.......if the officer removed the leg irons so the inmate could go to the restroom, he should have taken the one side off the bed and placed on the inmate. Did the inmate slip the leg irons? Maybe, but the officer should have been aware of this happening also. That time of the morning, it is the hardest time to stay alert.

The officer didn't deserve to die this way for sure!
The police should have ended it also by blowing the convict away!

We may never know for sure, but it would be my educated guess that the officer did not follow procedure and he was careless for sure.

Now the officers will use this as another reason for needing additional staff, and I say to this, regardles of staffing, there would have only been one officer with that inmate. What you really need is a Hospital Ward

Wow really Snoop? Even when you have an inmate with a history of violent crimes?? If they knocked someone off once what's gonna stop them from doing it again, regardless of whether it's a prison guard...

They are now staffing the Hospital with two officers. One is inside the room unarmed and one outside armed.
That is a waste of staff.....tax payer money and probably causes overtime out the gazoo! When it comes to the DOC everything is a knee Jerk reaction.

You really got to feel sorry for the officers at the prisons because of the Wardens, Asst. Wardens and Security Chiefs are afraid to stand up for their staff. Yes, staff does cry about staffing and pay without cause sometimes especially pay when you consider all the other perks they and all state workers get! They all have the right to find other employment else where.
There is probably more retired officers out working in the area then there is working at the prison. The ones that hang on are either lazy or afraid to go out and get a real job after they get there twenty years in!
But one thing is for sure, I'm tired of hearing those with more then twenty years in crying about there job and pay!!!!!!

whatever rocky. i'm sure you could do a much better job of it. When was the last time you had a bottle of urine thrown on you? Or smeared with human excrement?

When was the last time you went to work knowing that you would be attacked? Ever worry about what someone's done to your food while it was being prepared?

Someone might read this thread and think that you know about all this first hand! I doubt that you do though and if you do know first hand, I'd find another way of making a living.

OH....Yossarian, I do know first hand, if 28 plus years being a CO count! As I said before, anyone that has there twenty years in can leave. There is only a few officers that cry all the time, most of them you never hear anything out of and just do there job.

You can raise the pay, add more staff and the job will still be a very unrewarding career. However, you will get 15 sick days, a lot of overtime, better pay then most in Washington County, 11 Holidays and 6 personal days and a bunch of vacation. Another important thing, I bet most of the crying is done by those that don't even work the housing areas, they are many posts that never need to deal with the convicts

Rocky, thanks for clearing that up. No, I don't know about it first hand, I worked the side that put them in there. A CO's job is tough, dirty and dangerous, more so (I've always thought) than a cop's. At least a cop gets to deal with decent people on occasion.

The problem with corrections is that the screening of new employees are not weeding out the bad apples. Usually the side that you are on Yossarian is made up of a better people. I'm retired now and the longer I'm away from the state prison system, the less respect I have for the people that work there and especially the people that run the institutions.
I read in the paper quotes form officers and retired officers and can tell you most of the one doing the talking were poor officers at best!
I've touched on this before, but 80% of the staff does nothing during a normal shift.

The Hair Cuttery in the Martins plaza on Dual Hwy is having a cut-a-thon on Sun 3/26 from 6-9pm to benefit Officer Wroten's family. If youre lookin' for a new spring 'do (or, like moi, just lookin' shaggy) it'd help a good cause to stop by.

My Prayers are with the Family, and Friend's OF Jeffery Wroten

When did thing's change? It use to be SAFE !, when going on a ride, two Guard's went, after checking the inmate in the Hospital, the Hospital would lock their weapons up. The inmates was only aloud to have their cuff's taken off if they was having a MIR or Cat Scan.

I have heard from other Guard's that this inmate and Guard has had it out, they seem to think this was planed. I myself hope the MF get's put to death. It's sad, this inmate was and is a wasted peace of SHIT, or he wouldn't be an imate, and than the Guard, just doing his job to support his Family, they now loose him. It just isn't FAIR.

Just my opinion.............

Sorry Bob, sorry he didn't get the " 25cent re-load in his head" you were hoping for.

It appears as though the "alledged" killer of the Smithsburg Police officer will not either.

I will give Mr. Pryor one word of advice: Don't meet the Chief of Police (Smithsburg) in a dark alley.

I don't think Mr. Pryor should meet anyone in the tristate area in a dark alley. It's just incredible that we are so lax.

Meaning? We are lax in protecting the self-proclaimed innocent? We are lax in gun control? I am not sure what you are saying.

Lax in that Maryland has the death penalty but won't use it. Lax in that it isn't safe to work in the prison system because it's ok to kill other inmates or a guard.

Thank you.