WARE COUNTY, Ga. A corrections officer is recovering at a Jacksonville hospital more than a week after hew as injured during a disturbance at the Ware State Prison in Georgia. The Georgia Department of Corrections said two staff members and three inmates were injured. A different officer who was on duty the night of the disturbance told News4Jax lack of staff and equipment is part of the blame for how the inmates were able to take control. The Georgia Department of Corrections said it could not release specific details about the officers condition because of state laws. The investigation into the unrest at the Ware State Prison is ongoing.

WARE COUNTY, Fla. – In the days following a violent disturbance at the Ware State Prison, News4Jax is hearing from family members of inmates at the facility. Videos taken by inmates on cellphones that had been taken as contraband have gone viral, showing other inmates covered in blood and a corrections officer in handcuffs. Valecia Smith said her son is an inmate at the prison and that the videos taken during Saturday’s unrest are hard to watch. It reads in part:“Did anyone stop and think about the reason the riot incident happened on August 1, 2020 at Ware State Prison? The Georgia Department of Corrections has reported two inmate deaths at Ware State Prison due to COVID-19.

The first corrections officer said they watched as the chaos broke out at about 10:45 p.m. Saturday. “They were destroying a lot of property, setting things on fire,” the corrections officer said. “I was worried for my safety and just trying to get out and get back to my family,” the corrections officer said. Another corrections officer, who wasn’t there Saturday night, has resigned following the disturbance. “I planned on making it a career, but after all this its not an option,” the second corrections officer said.

WAYCROSS, Ga. – Three inmates and two staff members were injured during unrest at a state prison in Southeast Georgia that began Saturday night, according to the Georgia Department of Corrections. Eason said he believes if Ware State Prison had more guards, the disturbance “absolutely would not have happened.”“The fear of that was what if you get taken, hostage or beat up. A Ware State inmate was killed two weeks ago in what authorities said was an altercation with another inmate. Department of Corrections data shows 22 inmates and 32 staff members at Ware State Prison have tested positive for the coronavirus. Ware State Prison houses adult male felons and has a total capacity for 1,546, according to information about the facility on the department’s website.