An offender housed at Central Prison was pronounced deceased this morning after being assaulted with a weapon by several other offenders.
Offender Ronald S. Rhodes (#0850872) was being housed in the prison as a "safekeeper" at the request of Wake County.
The incident occurred at approximately 9:30 a.m. on the recreation yard. The prison's first responders performed lifesaving measures on Rhodes until the arrival of local paramedics, who also worked to resuscitate the offender. He was pronounced deceased at 10:32 a.m.
The prison has been placed on lockdown as the State Capitol Police investigate. The medical examiner will determine a cause of death. The Department of Public Safety is also conducting an internal investigation.
A safekeeper is an offender who is temporarily housed at a state prison facility pre-trial. County jails request the state take in safekeepers for a variety of reasons to include treatment for mental or physical health reasons, or to avoid housing co-defendants together or if the individual's safety has been threatened.