Officer dies after assault by

inmate at Minnesota prison

BAYPORT, Minn. (AP) — A corrections officer has died after he was assaulted by an inmate at the Stillwater state prison.

The Minnesota Department of Corrections says Officer Joseph Gomm was attacked by an offender at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday. Gomm was taken to Regions Hospital in St. Paul, where he was pronounced dead.

Gomm was a 16-year veteran of the department.

The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports the inmate involved in the attack was serving time for homicide. His name was not released.

A corrections officer was assaulted earlier this year at the prison.

In March, assaults by inmates at the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Oak Park Heights sent 10 employees to the hospital. Last month, the maximum security prison was placed on lockdown after an inmate attacked a corrections officer, causing serious injuries.