Officials say fights at Washington State Prison left three inmates dead and more than a dozen people injured.
DAVISBORO, GA — Three inmates were killed and a corrections officer and at least 13 inmates were injured after multiple fights broke out Sunday afternoon at Washington State Prison in central Georgia, according to the state Department of Corrections, which said the disturbance began in an outdoor area and was brought under control within about 90 minutes.
State officials identified the men who died as Jimmy Lee Trammell, 42; Ahmod Dewayne Hatcher, 23; and Teddy Dewayne Jackson Jr., 27. Relatives said Trammell had been scheduled for release Wednesday after serving time on a burglary conviction. The department said the episode appeared to be gang affiliated and offered few other details about how the violence unfolded as investigators continued to review security video, social media clips and witness statements. The prison, a medium-security facility that houses roughly 1,550 people, remained on heightened security Monday as officials assessed injuries and damage and notified families.
The violence began early Sunday afternoon in an exterior walkway and spread as groups of prisoners clashed with makeshift weapons, according to officials. Staff used nonlethal rounds and chemical agents to separate groups and move the injured to secure areas. Visitors who were inside the complex for routine Sunday visitation were escorted out after injured inmates entered the visitation area, authorities said. “It’s like they’re just letting them run around, do whatever,” said Michelle Lett, who identified herself as Trammell’s aunt. She said the family learned of his death from a call by a prison official later that evening, after word had already circulated on contraband phones. By nightfall, two of the men were confirmed dead inside the prison; a third died at a hospital after being transported for treatment.
Washington County Sheriff Joel Cochran said deputies were called to secure the outside perimeter while prison officers worked inside to separate the fights and escort medical teams. The Department of Corrections said at least 13 inmates were taken for medical treatment in addition to the injured officer. Officials did not immediately specify the types of injuries or identify the officer. Videos posted to advocacy accounts on social media showed inmates running in enclosed corridors and holding improvised clubs. Authorities said they are working to confirm when and where each clip was recorded and whether contraband devices were used to transmit footage during the disturbance. The department did not release information about the initial trigger, citing the ongoing investigation and safety concerns.
Trammell had recently been moved to Washington State Prison in preparation for his release, relatives said. His brother had expected to pick him up midweek. “He did 10 years and was ready to come home,” a family member said, describing phone calls in which Trammell talked about finding work and reuniting with his children. Hatcher and Jackson had been serving sentences for violent offenses, according to corrections records released Monday. Prison officials said notifications to next of kin were completed by late Sunday and that autopsies were being scheduled through the state medical examiner to determine the precise causes of death. As of Monday afternoon, officials had not said how many weapons were recovered or whether any staff used force beyond standard crowd-control tools allowed under policy.
The episode comes less than two years after a federal civil rights investigation found pervasive violence and contraband in Georgia prisons. A 2024 report by the U.S. Department of Justice described chronic understaffing, gang control of black markets and a steady rise in homicides across the system. State leaders have since added hundreds of millions of dollars for hiring and security upgrades, but vacancy rates remain high at several lockups. Advocacy groups and corrections experts said the scale of Sunday’s incident — with three deaths and more than a dozen injured — was unusual compared with daily fights that rarely cause multiple fatalities. They said the location of the initial clash in an outdoor area suggests that groups were able to mobilize quickly before officers could contain movement between housing units.
Washington State Prison, about 130 miles southeast of Atlanta, has faced staffing shortages that advocates say make it harder to supervise yards, walkways and visitation corridors. Former officers have described frequent overtime and prolonged lockdowns designed to reduce movement when staffing is thin. Relatives of inmates said communication from the prison can be inconsistent during emergencies because official updates are limited while security officers perform head counts and search common areas. On Monday, family members waited for return calls from the prison and hospitals while community leaders urged the state to share basic timelines and confirm the conditions of the wounded.
The Department of Corrections said its Office of Professional Standards is leading the administrative review and that criminal findings would be referred to statewide authorities. Officials said they were cataloging recovered contraband and interviewing staff and inmates who were in the areas where the fights erupted. Autopsy results are expected to guide death notifications and any future criminal charges. The prison remained on modified operations Monday, with programs paused and movement restricted between dorms while searches continued. Officials did not provide a date for resuming normal schedules or visitation and said updates would be issued when the security posture changes.
Cochran said his office will compile a timeline of calls, perimeter deployments and ambulance transports to help investigators match radio logs to camera footage. Health officials in Washington County said emergency rooms received multiple patients with puncture and blunt-force injuries Sunday afternoon and early evening. The names of the injured officer and the surviving inmates were not released. Prison chaplains and county victim services workers contacted families to arrange hospital visits where permitted. As of late Monday, the department had not confirmed whether any prisoners were moved to other facilities as a result of the disturbance.
Relatives who gathered outside the prison Monday described a tense atmosphere. A line of cars waited near the main entrance as families sought updates from staff, who rotated between the gatehouse and the yard. “He told me he was keeping his head down and staying out of trouble so he could make it home,” said Aquinas Stillwell, identified by relatives as Trammell’s brother. “We were supposed to see him Wednesday.” An advocacy organizer who traveled from Atlanta said the group planned a candlelight vigil in Davisboro once authorities release funeral arrangements. Local pastors said they opened churches for families to meet and share information while waiting on official calls.
As of Monday evening, the Department of Corrections said the prison was secure and that investigators were reviewing video and incident reports to determine the cause and sequence of the fights. The next official update is expected after autopsies are completed and preliminary findings are delivered to state leaders later this week.
Author note: Last updated January 13, 2026.