SC inmate allegedly stabbed, tried to kill 2 guards, Dept. of Corrections says
A South Carolina prison inmate is accused of stabbing and trying to kill two correctional officers while incarcerated at maximum security correctional institution, according to a statement from the D.C. Department of Corrections.
Quinteris Zyquan Miller, 21, was charged Friday with two counts of attempted murder, possession of a weapon during a violent crime and carrying or concealing a weapon by an inmate after the Dec. 17 assault, according to the statement.
Miller was housed at McCormick Correctional Institution in McCormick, according to the statement. He was already serving a sentence for one charge of murder, three charges of attempted murder, discharging a firearm in a dwelling and possession of a weapon during a violent crime, according to information posted online by SCDC.
On Dec. 17, Miller allegedly tried to kill two guards with a homemade knife, or “shank,” according to the statement. The incident was caught on video.
Both guards were injured in the incident, according to the statement.
Miller was initially given two disciplinaries for possession of a weapon and assault and battery of an employee on the day of the incident as SCDC’s Police Services Division investigated, according to information from SCDC. A month before, Miller was also caught with a weapon.
After the assault, Miller was moved to Perry Correctional Institution and placed in lock-up, according to SCDC documents.
Assaults on S.C. Department of Corrections employees have been steadily rising since 2015, according to data from the organization.
From July 2017 to June 2018, 46 correctional officers were involved in a “serious assault” by an inmate, according to the data. In contrast, from July 2014 to June 2015, only 12 guards were assaulted.
This story was originally published February 1, 2019 at 9:13 AM.
