A beloved corrections officer was killed during a Christmas Day attack at an Ohio prison, according to officials.
According to WBNS-TV, corrections officer Andrew Lansing was attacked around 7:15 a.m. Wednesday at the Ross Correctional Institution in Chillicothe — roughly 43 miles south of Columbus.
‘Officer Lansing was loved by his colleagues and known to be a great support for his fellow RCI staff.’
Lansing, 62, reportedly died “following an inmate assault.” The victim’s brother reportedly said Lansing had been severely beaten in the face and head and showed no defensive wounds.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol identified the alleged assailant as 27-year-old Rashawn Cannon. Cannon has been incarcerated since September 2023 for felonious assault and having a weapon while under disability, according to Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction records. Cannon’s expected release date was listed as Aug. 5, 2030. Since the attack, Cannon has been transferred to the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility.
Following the fatal attack, the Ross Correctional Institution restricted inmates’ movements. The Ohio State Highway Patrol launched an investigation.
Annette Chambers-Smith — director of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction — said in a statement: “It is with great sadness that I confirm the tragic death of Correction Officer Andrew Lansing following an inmate assault that occurred at Ross Correctional Institution this morning.”
“Officer Lansing is a longtime, well-respected employee at Ross, and his untimely death — on Christmas Day — is heartbreaking for his family, the entire Ross Correctional Institution family, and our agency as a whole,” Chambers-Smith continued. “Officer Lansing was loved by his colleagues and known to be a great support for his fellow RCI staff. He was a friendly, outgoing officer who treated everyone with respect and was always a professional.”
Chambers-Smith described Lansing’s death as a “tragedy beyond comprehension.”
“Instead of going home after his shift to be with his family on this holiday, Officer Lansing made the ultimate sacrifice, and our agency will never be the same,” Chambers-Smith added.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) ordered all flags to be flown at half-mast in honor of Lansing until sunset on the day of his funeral.
Mike Lansing — the slain officer’s brother and a retired correctional officer — said Andrew Lansing knew his job was dangerous but that he needed to provide for his family.
Mike Lansing added to the Columbus Dispatch, “He had been taken out of there twice because of fentanyl exposure. They had to Narcan him once. I kept telling him then he needed to get out, but like I said, he had so much time invested. It’s hard to walk away from something like that and start over at our age.”
The brother also said Andrew Lansing “was a great guy who’d do anything for anybody.”
Lansing reportedly was a corrections officer for nearly 25 years and served in the U.S. Army from October 1981 to April 1992. He’s survived by his wife, Elmond Lansing, and two children.
You can view a video report here about Lansing’s killing.
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Homicide, Mike dewine, Murder, Ohio, Ohio crime, Crime, Prison inmate, Corrections officer killed, Christmas day
