A Texas corrections officer was killed after he was attacked by an inmate, according to state authorities.
Isaiah Bias, 28, was working at the Ellis County Detention Center Monday when he was tasked with escorting a prisoner, 45-year-old Arron Thompson, to his cell.
According to investigators, Thompson was booked into jail last month on three counts of assault on a public servant and for evading arrest. He has been locked in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day, which is why he required inter-prison transport.
Elias County Sheriff Brad Norman said during a press conference that the attack occurred while Bias was moving Thompson back to his cell, Fox 4 News reports.
“He was physically assaulted by an inmate in a cell, holding facility while the officer was doing his job,” the sheriff said.
According to an arrest warrant for Thompson, the inmate allegedly punched Bias, knocked him to the ground, and then began choking him and beating him in the head with his fist, knee and foot. After beating Bias and leaving him in a pool of blood, Thompson then allegedly walked off to sit down at a table.
Thompson has since been charged with capital murder in Bias’s death. He has been arraigned and issued a $2 million bond.
Norman called Thompson “pure evil.”
“Most of the time, law enforcement officers and detention officers deal with good folks having a bad day. Occasionally, we deal with bad folks,” Norman said. “I can honestly say that my staff over the last day has dealt with pure evil.”
Texas Rangers are leading the investigation into the killing. The sheriff said he hoped that Thompson would be executed if convicted.
Bias had just become an uncle the same week he was killed.
“It was a heinous, horrific, purposeful murder that was not needed,” the sheriff said. “If I have anything to say about it, [a death penalty sentencing] is exactly what will happen,” he said.
Norman’s apparent fury is not baseless; the sheriff told reporters that he knew Bias since the deputy was 14 years old. The sheriff said he met Bias while participating in an Explorer career exploration program.
“He wanted to be in law enforcement. He came into work for the jail,” Norman said. “You can work in the jail when you are 18. You can’t be a peace officer until you’re 21.”
