NEW YORK (WCBS 880) – A city correction officer suffered a fractured skull and other injuries after an inmate assaulted him on Rikers Island on Monday morning, union officials said.
The officer was attacked at the jail’s George R. Vierno Center, according to the Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association (COBA).
The union tweeted photos of the injured officer, who they said suffered a fractured skull, fractured orbital bones and a fractured nose, among other injuries.
The inmate was charged with first-degree attempted murder in connection with the assault, according to the New York Post.
Department of Correction Commissioner Vincent Schiraldi said in a statement, “Any assault on our staff is deplorable and absolutely unacceptable. We will work with the Bronx DA to hold the individual responsible accountable.”
In a statement, COBA President Benny Boscio said, “Our Correction Officer, who was simply doing his job, was nearly killed by this heinous attack.”
“The blood that shed from his wounds and the wounds of all of our brave officers, who continue to be assaulted with impunity, are on the Mayor’s hands,” Boscio said.
Earlier this month, city correction officers protested the conditions on Rikers Island, where assaults on officers are up 28% so far this year and staffing is down.
In July, COBA filed a lawsuit against the Department of Correction in Queens Supreme Court, pointing to everything from triple shifts to a shortage of PPE and the increase in assaults on officers.
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