Inmate used gun to kill a prison kitchen worker before killing himself, officials say

GLENNVILLE, Ga. — An inmate used a handgun on a kitchen worker at a Georgia prison Sunday morning before fatally shooting himself, state officials said.

The Georgia Department of Corrections said in a statement that it is investigating the deaths at Smith State Prison in rural southeast Georgia. The agency provided few immediate details, including how the inmate obtained a firearm.

According to the agency’s statement, inmate Jaydrekus Hart fatally shot a food service worker in the jail’s kitchen around 4:30 a.m. Sunday, then used the gun to kill himself.

“The weapon is currently in the custody of the GDC and a full and thorough investigation will be conducted into what led to this tragic incident,” the statement said.

Agency spokeswoman Lori Benoit provided no further information when reached by phone. She said further details will be released as they become available.

The name of the murdered kitchen worker, an employee of food service company Aramark, was not immediately released.

It is the second murder of a Smith State Prison staff member in less than a year. Correctional officer Robert Clark, 42, died last October after a prisoner he was escorting attacked him from behind with a homemade weapon.

A state investigation into a widespread trafficking scheme within the prison resulted in the arrest and dismissal of the prison director, Brian Adamsin February 2023. He was charged with extortion, bribery, making or writing false statements and violating his oath as a public servant.

Hart had been in prison since 2015 after being convicted in Carroll County of voluntary manslaughter and aggravated battery, online jail records show. Its earliest possible release date would have been 2043.

Smith State Prison, which holds 1,500 inmates, is a maximum security prison that houses offenders who are considered violent or pose an escape risk.