COLUMBUS, OHIO (WLIO) - The director of Ohio’s Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections held a press conference to discuss the attack by an inmate that killed a corrections officer on Christmas Day.
The director said that Lansing wrote a conduct report on Cannon in April of this year accusing him of disrespect, threats, and disobedience of a direct order. Cannon was found guilty of two of the three charges.
Director Annette Chambers-Smith answered what questions she could involving the death of Andrew Lansing, after being attacked by Rashawn Cannon Wednesday morning. Cannon is from Lima and had been in prison since 2023, after he was found guilty of felonious assault and a weapons charge in Allen County. The director said that Lansing wrote a conduct report on Cannon in April of this year accusing him of disrespect, threats, and disobedience of a direct order. Cannon was found guilty of two of the three charges.
Lansing elected to work voluntary overtime on Christmas so other officers could have the day off. He was in a small structure in the middle of the yard at Ross Correctional, which the correctional officers use, when the attack occurred.
Lansing elected to work voluntary overtime on Christmas so other officers could have the day off.
“Cannon’s unit was released to go to the dining hall, which is why he was on the yard. He veered away going to the dining hall and instead went to where Officer Lansing was working and attacked him brutally,” says Director Chambers-Smith. “Inmate Cannon, who did this, is just pure evil.”
Chambers-Smith says that no weapons were used in the attack. She added that all the positions at the high-security prison were filled that morning. But the prison system in Ohio is experiencing about an 8% shortage of workers overall. The autopsy report has not been released yet, and the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s investigation is ongoing.
