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Two killed in attempted prison escape identified

Two people are dead and several others injured after inmates attempted to break out of an Elizabeth City prison.

ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. (WVEC) -- The two employees killed during an attempted prison escape have been identified.

35-year-old Justin Smith and 50-year-old Veronica Darden were killed when several inmates tried to escape the Pasquotank Correctional Institution Thursday afternoon.

According to police, the inmates started a fire in the prison's sewing plant around 3 p.m., where approximately 30 inmates work.

After starting the fire, several inmates attempted to escape the prison but were caught. The Department of Public Safety said no inmates escaped during an incident that injured at least 10 people.

Smith had worked as a correctional officer since 2012 and Darden was a Correction Enterprises Manager who oversaw inmates working in the specialty sewing plant, where the fire was started.

The fires were put out just before 5:30 p.m. but the correctional institution remained under lockdown.

Three other prison employees remain at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in critical condition, seven other employees were taken to Sentara Albemarle Medical Center for treatment, as well as four inmates. They have since been released.

Lockdowns at Northside Elementary School, Elizabeth City Middle School, and Pasquotank County High School were lifted shortly after 5 p.m.

After school events and athletics at all three schools were cancelled.

Law enforcement scoured the neighborhood sourounding the prison looking for the alleged escaped inmates. Local Resident Demetrius Washington says a prison break has always been his worst nightmare.

"I was terrified because since I moved out here I knew the prison is out here so that's something that's in the back of your mind," said Washington.

Washington has four young children. He immediately locked them inside the house, while his wife kept telling him its time to move.

"Yes my wife that's all she's talked about right now she's ready to move," said Washington.

Washington's 13-year-old son was on the bus on his way home from school when he heard the news.

"There was a superintendent on our bus that stopped us for a second because she had to send this radio thing out to the other buses telling them to go back to school," said Jaiden Sadler.

Police were so convinced there was an escape they told business more than six miles away, like Wendy's and Captain Ds, to go on lockdown.

"Police came by and said that one of the inmates got loose behind the Food Lion here so they were telling us we might have to lock our doors," said Captain D's manager Charlie Snowden.

Snowden said he immediately thought about the safety of his employees and customers.

"They were kind of scared, they were ready to go, ready to leave, because they didn't know what was going on," said Snowden.

To make things even more stressful Snowden has an uncle who works at the prison.

"But he was ok I found out he got a couple scratches but he was ok," said Snowden.

The correctional institution can hold approximately 900 inmates, according to Thursday's inmate count, Pasquotank CI is housing 729 people.

As of 7:30 p.m. all inmates have been accounted for, but the prison remained on lockdown.

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper released this statement:

"Those who work in our prisons do a difficult and demanding job that is critical to our safety. We're grateful to these fallen prison employees for their service, and we offer our condolences to their families, friends, coworkers and community on this tragic loss."


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