The correctional officer killed in Sunday’s stabbing at the Indiana State Prison has been identified. Lieutenant Eugene Lasco died from his injuries, after he was attacked by an offender, according to the Indiana Department of Correction. Lasco was 57 years old, lived in LaPorte County, and had worked at the prison since 2009.
The IDOC says that around 2:30 Sunday afternoon, an offender attacked Sergeant Padrick Schmitt, stabbing him multiple times. Lieutenant Lasco reportedly went to help, when he himself was stabbed.
Schmitt is 22 years old and began his career at the prison in 2016. He had just been promoted to sergeant on February 7. The IDOC says Schmitt is currently in stable condition after being transferred to Memorial Hospital in South Bend.
Indiana State Police say inmate Tymetri Campbell, 38, faces several preliminary charges, including murder. He was serving a 130-year sentence for three murder convictions from Marion County, according to the Department of Correction.
IDOC Commissioner Rob Carter has ordered flags to be flown at half-staff at all of the department’s facilities in honor of Lieutenant Lasco. Carter said in a press release that “Lasco was well-known amongst his colleagues as a true team member, someone they could count on, and he proved that again on Sunday, when he rushed in to help a fellow correctional officer. His sacrifice will not be forgotten.” Governor Holcomb is expected to direct all flags in LaPorte County to be flown at half-staff on the day of Lasco’s services.
His death remains under investigation by the Indiana Department of Correction Office of Investigations and Intelligence and Indiana State Police.
