Ohio corrections officer killed by inmate on Christmas morning: 'Tragedy beyond comprehension'

CHILLICOTHE, Ohio (WCMH) – A corrections officer in Ohio was killed on Christmas morning by an inmate at a facility in Ross County, the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction announced Wednesday.

Officer Andrew Lansing died Wednesday morning after being assaulted by an inmate at the Ross Correctional Institution in Chillicothe.

Lansing, 62, had been a corrections officer in Ohio for more than two decades, Nexstar's WCMH reported. The Ohio DRC did not disclose the circumstances surrounding Lansing's death on Wednesday.

"Officer Lansing was loved by his colleagues and known to be a great support for his fellow RCI staff," wrote Annette Chambers-Smith, the department's director. "He was a friendly, outgoing officer who treated everyone with respect and was always a professional. The loss of a staff person is difficult, but to lose a family member on Christmas Day at the hands of someone in our custody is a tragedy beyond comprehension."

The inmate accused of killing Lansing has since been transferred to another facility. An investigation is ongoing.

The Ross Correctional Institution was operating "under restricted movement" as of Wednesday, according to Chambers-Smith.

"We ask that you keep Officer Lansing’s family and loved ones in your thoughts and prayers at this devastating and tragic time," Chambers-Smith wrote.