Inmate dies from stab wounds after large fight erupts at prison near Jackson

LANSING — A prisoner died after suffering stab wounds during a Friday morning fight involving more than a dozen inmates at a state prison near Jackson, a spokeswoman confirmed.

Two prisoners were taken to the hospital with stab wounds after the fight at G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility, said Brianna Brugel, a spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of Corrections.

Deandre Jackson, 22, died at the hospital, she said.

In 2019, Jackson was sentenced to between six years and nine months, as a minimum sentence, and 40 years, as a maximum sentence, for a 2014 armed robbery in Kalamazoo County, state records show.

The other prisoner taken to the hospital, who was not identified, was treated and returned to the prison, she said.

Two staff members were also treated at the hospital for minor injuries and returned to work, Brugel said.

A large fight broke out just before 7:30 a.m. in the breakfast meal lines in the Level 4 housing unit. Level 4 is one of the highest prisoner security classifications.

“Staff detained 13 prisoners involved in the fight,” she said.

The prison’s emergency response team was called in and the prison was still locked down Friday afternoon, she said.

“Staff did an excellent job responding quickly,” Brugel said.

The Michigan State Police is investigating.