WASHINGTON (AP) — A prisoner suspected of stabbing Larry Nassar at a Florida federal penitentiary says the disgraced former sports doctor provoked the attack by making a lewd comment as they watched a tennis match from Wimbledon on TV, a person familiar with the matter said. The Associated Press.
The inmate, identified as Shane McMillan, had previously been convicted of assaulting a corrections officer at a Louisiana federal penitentiary in 2006 and attempting to stab another inmate to death at Supermax federal prison in Florence, Colorado in 2011, according to court records.
McMillan attacked Nassar in his cell on Sunday with a makeshift weapon, stabbing him repeatedly in the neck, chest and back before four other inmates rushed in and pulled him away from Nassar, according to the person familiar with the matter.
Correctional officers assigned to the unit at U.S. Penitentiary Coleman responded to Nassar’s cell and performed what officials said were lifesaving measures. He was taken to hospital, where he remained in stable condition on Wednesday with injuries including a collapsed lung.
Cell doors in most federal penitentiary units are generally open during the day, allowing inmates to move freely around the facility. Because Nassar was attacked in his cell, the incident was not captured by surveillance cameras which only point to common areas and hallways.
McMillan, 49, told prison workers he attacked Nassar after the sexually abusive ex-USA gymnastics team doctor made a comment about wanting to see girls play in the game Wimbledon Women’s Championship, the person said.
The person was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the attack or the ongoing investigation and did so on condition of anonymity.
Messages seeking comment have been left for attorneys who have represented McMillan in his past cases.
Sunday’s attack was the second time Nassar has been assaulted in federal custody. He is serving decades in prison for sexually abusing athletes, including college and Olympic gymnastics stars, and for possessing explicit images of children.
The attack highlighted lingering problems at the Federal Bureau of Prisons, including violence, understaffing and failure to protect even its most high-profile prisoners.
The Bureau of Prisons insists there were enough staff at the jail where Nassar was stabbed, though documents obtained by the AP show a third of corrections officer positions remain vacant at the jail .
In a statement Wednesday, the agency said it was “imperative that we increase our workforce” and said it was recruiting officers and using financial incentives to try to retain workers. Officials said they were also still working to “address the issue of violence at our facilities” and had improved their security procedures, but would not provide details.
“The BOP takes seriously our duty to protect those in our custody, as well as to maintain the safety of correctional staff and the community,” agency spokesman Scott Taylor said.
“We make every effort to ensure the physical safety of those confined to our facilities through a controlled, safe and humane environment,” Taylor said. “As we continue to emerge from a pandemic that has lasted for years, there remain challenges and opportunities to improve our agency, protect the lives of those who work for us and ensure the well-being of those who are in our custody.”
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Associated Press reporter Alanna Durkin Richer contributed to this report.
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