Lee Correctional inmate injured in fight during shower; Same day as outside rally

An inmate was injured Saturday at Lee Correctional Institution after an altercation with another inmate.

The altercation comes on the same day as an outside rally meant to spread awareness about inmate treatment and demand changes in the prison system.

Dexter Lee, a spokesperson for the South Carolina Department of Corrections, says an inmate was taken to a medical facility outside Lee Correctional after he was injured in an altercation with another inmate. The incident happened during inmates’ showers.

Lee did not elaborate on the seriousness of the inmate’s injuries or the method that the other imprisoned man use to hurt the inmate.

The altercation occurred on the same day that protesters gathered outside of Lee Correctional for a rally to demand improvement for the lives of prisoners and for better prison conditions. The protest was inspired by the death of seven inmates in a riot at Lee Correctional in April. The rally was part of a nationwide series of events to make such demands.

Dana AlHasan, president of Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of South Carolina and a prisoner advocate, helped organize the rally outside Lee Correctional. She said more than 50 people attended the protest.

“It’s a really big coincidence that this (the altercation) happened,” she said. “We’re definitely really suspicious about this. We don’t think this has anything to do with the rally. If the (Department of Corrections) wants to say they were understaffed because they had to put people at the rally that’s definitely not true.”

Authorities are investigating the incident, Lee said.

This story is ongoing. Check back for updates.

This story was originally published August 25, 2018 at 7:39 PM.