Sandy MaloneMount Vernon, IL – Illinois State Police (ISP) on Friday released surveillance video of an deputy-involved shooting that occurred after an inmate attacked a correctional officer on his way to court last week (video below).
The incident occurred at about 1 p.m. on Oct. 26 when the correctional officer was transporting 55-year-old Frederick Goss to the Jefferson County Courthouse for his trial by a jury, WJBD reported.
Goss was not supposed to appear in front of the jury in restraints, so after they arrived in the sally port entrance into the courthouse, the correctional officer removed the prisoner’s handcuffs.
The surveillance video showed that after the correctional officer took off the cuffs, he assisted Goss in transferring himself into a wheelchair.
After the inmate was settled in the chair, the correctional officer bent over to assist him in putting his legs on the footrests, the video showed.
That’s when Goss reached over and pulled the correctional officer’s duty weapon from his holster.
The video showed the correctional officer and Goss fought over the gun and went to the ground.
Goss gained control of the weapon and got partially to his feet, and stood pointing the gun at the correctional officer who was on his back on the ground, the video showed.
A Jefferson County sheriff’s deputy inside the courthouse spotted the altercation on the security cameras as it unfolded, KFVS reported.
The deputy rushed to the sally port to intervene.
The surveillance video showed that when he arrived, he found the correctional officer still fighting with the inmate, and Goss looming over the officer with the weapon.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said the deputy was forced to fire his weapon at the inmate in order to protect himself and the correctional officer who was under attack, KFVS reported.
The wounded inmate was transported to a St. Louis hospital for treatment of his gunshot wound.
The correctional officer sustained minor injuries from the altercation with Goss and was treated at a nearby hospital, KFVS reported.
The deputy who shot Goss was not wounded.
ISP is heading up the investigation into the deputy-involved shooting at the courthouse with the assistance of the sheriff’s department, KFVS reported.
“While we do not condone the actions of the inmate in the slightest, our prayers go out to the family as they handle this difficult news,” the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement when the video was released.
Watch the incident unfold in the video below. WARNING – Graphic Content:
RAW VIDEO: Inmate disarms officer, fires gun at Illinois courthouse before being shot by another deputy pic.twitter.com/LIIy8r9Pjb
— T. Grant Benson (@GrantB911) November 1, 2021
Holly Matkin
