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Knife Fight Kills One Inmate, Injures Others At Southeast Oklahoma Prison

Gregory Smith
Oklahoma Department of Corrections
Gregory Smith
Gregory Smith
Credit Oklahoma Department of Corrections
/
Oklahoma Department of Corrections
Gregory Smith

An Oklahoma inmate died Wednesday night after a disturbance broke out at the Mack Alford Correctional Center in Stringtown.

In a press release describing the incident, Department of Corrections Director Joe Allbaugh called the knife fight “senseless violence” and vowed to look for a motive.

“We have launched a full-scale investigation into the situation,”Allbaughsaid. “We will ensure the proper measures are taken to better manage these situations in the future.”

Four inmates used homemade knives in the attack that killed one and injured three others in an open room inside the prison. Gregory Smith, serving a life sentence for murder, was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. Two other inmates suffered injuries and have returned to Mack Alford. The fourth inmate sustained a stab wound to the stomach and remains in observation as of Thursday afternoon.  

The medium and minimum-security facility has been housing inmates on bunk beds in day rooms to help deal with overcrowding. More than 50 inmates live in the day room where the knife fight occurred.

The Mack Alford Correctional Center is at 107 percent capacity as the Department of Corrections continues to grapple with limited bed space across the state. 

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Kate Carlton Greer was a general assignment reporter for KGOU and Oklahoma Public Media Exchange.
Kate Carlton Greer
Kate Carlton Greer is a general assignment reporter for KGOU. She previously covered Oklahoma's efforts in tornado response and recovery as part of KGOU's "Ahead of the Storm: The Oklahoma Tornado Project." Kate also served as the Community Calendar Producer from January to August in 2013. She grew up in Flower Mound, Texas, and studied broadcasting and electronic media at the University of Oklahoma.
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