SMYRNA, Del.—Authorities negotiated into the evening for the release of the last two of four corrections department workers taken hostage by inmates at a Delaware prison.
Inmates at the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center in Smyrna told a local newspaper that concerns about their treatment and the leadership of the United States had prompted their actions Wednesday.
The hostage situation drew dozens of officers and law enforcement vehicles and prompted a statewide lockdown of all prisons.
One hostage was released Wednesday afternoon and another was released hours later.
A preliminary investigation suggests the disturbance began about 10:30 a.m. when a correctional officer inside Building C, which houses more than 100 inmates, radioed for immediate assistance, Delaware State Police spokesman Sgt. Richard Bratz said. Other officers responded to help, and the employees were taken hostage, he said.
Bratz initially said five employees were taken hostage, but authorities at a later news conference said the number had been revised to four after one person thought to be among the hostages was found in another part of the prison.
Robert Coupe, secretary of the Delaware Department of Safety and Homeland Security, said 27 inmates also had left the building over the course of the evening.
