New security measures are in place for the Fresno County Jail’s main lobby, following a shooting on Saturday that left two correctional officers seriously injured.
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– Two California correcitonal officers were rushed to a hospital after a visitor opened fire in a jail lobby this weekend. When correctional officers Juanita Davila and Toamalama Scanlan told him to sit down, a “struggle ensued”, according to the same report.
Botti said he hopes the jail will reopen to visitors Sunday afternoon.
According to a statement from the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, Vang tried to cut to the front of the visitation line, but a correctional officer working at the front desk told him to wait his turn.
Vang has been booked into the Fresno County jail on suspicion of attempted murder, being a felon in possession of a gun, and bringing drugs into a jail, according to the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office.
Known gang member Vang and fellow gang members kidnapped and raped three young girls – aged 12, 13 and 14 – in 1998, for which he served 16 years and was released on parole in 2014, Sheriff Margaret Mims said in a Saturday press conference.
The jail announced it has closed indefinitely to the public in the wake of the shooting. About 15 people, including small children, ran to safety. He had no criminal violations since his release.
Botti said arming correctional officers isn’t something that can be done overnight, since officers are not required to complete an arrest and firearms course like a sheriff’s deputy. Davila, who has 18 years of experience, was listed in critical but stable condition, Botti said.
Deputies detained Vang and took him to a hospital with minor scrapes and cuts.
This undated photo provided by the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office shows corrections officer Toamalama Scanlan. Two unarmed officers were critically injured after being shot by a visitor in the lobby of a central California jail, authorities said Saturday.
Sheriff’s spokesman Tony Botti says officers from the secured areas inside the jail ran to the lobby, where a lieutenant fired shots at the gunman, identified as 37-year-old Thong Vang. His initial charges were six counts of rape in concert with others, six counts of forcible rape, and one count of false imprisonment.
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A law enforcement officer patrols a street after reports of an active shooter in the main lobby of the Fresno County Jail in downtown Fresno, Calif., Saturday, Sept. 3, 2016. At that point, Vang pulled out a gun and shot both Officers Davila and Scanlan in the head or neck area.
