An Alabama corrections officer died Friday after he was stabbed by an inmate at a prison in Atmore earlier this month.
Corrections Officer Kenneth Bettis succumbed to his injuries at 5:35 p.m. at the University of South Alabama Hospital in Mobile, according to AL.com.
Officials said that inmate Cleveland Cunningham stabbed Bettis at the dining hall of the William C. Holman Correctional Facility on Sept. 1. Cunningham reportedly attacked Bettis in retaliation for being denied an extra tray of food during the afternoon meal.
Cunningham was charged with attempted murder after the attack. That charge will be upgraded to murder, He was serving a 20-year sectence for a 2013 first-degree robbery charge.
"Officer Bettis was known among his colleagues as a firm, but fair corrections officer, and was highly respected for his work ethic and dedicated service to his profession," Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner Jeff Dunn said.
Gov. Robert Bentley extended his condolences to Bettis' family.
"My thoughts and prayers are with the family of Officer Kenneth Bettis during this very difficult time," Bentley said in a statement. "Officer Bettis was a dedicated civil servant taking on the difficult role of corrections officer. I want to thank Officer Bettis and his family for his years of service to the people of Alabama, through his work at Holman Correctional Facility and his time serving in the Alabama Army National Guard."
Bettis, who served as a corrections officer at the facility since 2009, was an Army veteran and leaves behind a wife and three children.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
