Mother Of 2 Allegheny County Jail Guards Fears For Sons' Safety After Stabbing
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The mother of two Allegheny County Jail corrections officers is fearful about the safety of her sons after two other officers were stabbed by inmates Friday.
"As a mother, I have the right to protect my children, and I'm not only trying to protect my children, I'm trying to protect every guard in the County Jail," Lisa Lightner said.
Lightner believes the corrections officers stabbed by two inmates could have easily been her two sons.
She says guards are not allowed to talk to the media, so she's exercising her right to freedom of speech by asking questions.
Lightner wonders how 20-year-old Douglas Lockett, a man convicted of murder, and 19-year-old Dakil Blair gained access to two shanks described as 6- to 8-inch spikes with cloth handles.
"How do you make a shank in jail on a life sentence? Why did he have that ability? If they would have put him in solitary confinement, there would have been no way for him to access anything but a cell," Lightner said. "Life doesn't matter to him. His life is over. Life is life. He didn't care when he shot the person he was found guilty of, so he obviously didn't care about the guards."
Lightner also questions the safety of the jail and says guards are working too much mandatory overtime.
"When you have officers that are running two and three shifts at a time, how good is their safety? How alert and oriented could they be?" she said.
Both inmates face additional criminal charges, including attempted homicide and aggravated assault.
"Let's protect the guards. They should have more rights than the criminals," Lightner said.
County Police say they continue to investigate how and why the stabbing happened.
