INEVITABLE

OKC Pol: Bedbugs Partly to Blame for Hostage Situation at Jail

If conditions don’t improve, said Rep. Jason Lowe, such violent encounters will recur.

An inmate was shot dead by police after he took a correctional officer hostage Saturday afternoon at the Oklahoma County Jail—and state Rep. Jason Lowe said frustrations over bedbugs and other unsanitary conditions are among the things perpetuating a cycle of violence at the downtown Oklahoma City facility, according to KOCO. The incident occurred shortly after 4 p.m. on the 10th floor of the lockup, when an unnamed CO was overpowered by an inmate and taken hostage, the outlet reported. Oklahoma City police officers responded to the scene and shot and killed the inmate.

State Rep. Jason Lowe told KOCO that the incident was inevitable and will likely happen again unless significant changes are made. “Every year, it’s gotten worse. Every single year. I mean, there’s bedbugs, the conditions are horrible, they don't have any heat, there are approximately three individuals to a cell,” Lowe said. “The conditions at the jail are just horrendous. We need to get a new jail. We have to get that done because individuals are going to die, situations like this where detention officers are being held hostage... this is uncalled for. This is unnecessary.”