HATTIESBURG, Miss. – A veteran Mississippi correctional officer was killed Monday while she was taking an inmate to Forrest General Hospital.
Investigators said Iris Smith, 53, of Lucedale died instantly when the van she was driving ran into the back of an 18-wheeler in Hattiesburg.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Sgt. Smith’s family,” said Mississippi Corrections Commissioner Marshall Fisher. “Her unexpected death shows how fragile life is. It’s the kind of news we all dread hearing. She was driving from one destination to another as a certified peace officer to provide the secure custody and control of an inmate when her life was cut short.
The name and condition of the inmate was not immediately released.
Funeral arrangements for Smith are incomplete at this time and the accident remains under investigation.
