Video: Inmate Struggles for Gun with Ill. Corrections Officer

Security camera video captured a violent struggle between an Illinois corrections officers and an inmate that ended in a shooting.

The incident happened Oct. 26 at the Jefferson County Courthouse in Mount Vernon, WCIA-TV reports. A corrections officer was transporting a 55-year-old inmate in a wheelchair for trial when the inmate lunged at the deputy.

The two fought while the inmate tried to grab the officer's gun. A Jefferson County sheriff's deputy rushed to the scene and opened fire on the inmate. He was taken to the hospital, but no details were released concerning his condition.

“To protect the life of the correctional officer and himself, the deputy confronted the armed inmate and was forced to fire his weapon,” Illinois State Police said in a statement. “The inmate was injured by the gunfire. Immediate assistance was requested.”

The corrections officer suffered minor injuries. The deputy was uninjured.