WINDSOR, N.C. (WNCN) – A North Carolina prisoner convicted of murdering a toddler was killed after he was assaulted by “a number of other offenders” Tuesday afternoon, officials said.
Semajs Short, 24, was attacked in the housing area at the Bertie Correctional Institution in Windsor just before 2:15 p.m. Tuesday. First responders performed life-saving measures, but he died less than a half hour later, a news release from Department of Public Safety spokesperson John Bull said.
Three other prisoners were hurt in the group assault. They were taken to an outside medical facility with injuries that were described as non-life-threatening, the release said.
The prison was under a modified lockdown as investigators worked to figure out what happened. No staff members were injured, DPS said.
Windsor police and the State Bureau of Investigation are handling the incident. DPS said it is cooperating and will seek criminal prosecution against any prisoners involved in the altercation.
Short pled guilty to second-degree murder of a 2-year-old girl in 2017, according to reports. He was 17 years old at the time of the murder. He was serving a 31-year sentence and was scheduled to be released in May 2042, DPS said.
Short has more than two dozen infractions on his DPS record, including gang involvement, lock tampering, and fighting with weapons.
