NEW YORK – A Rikers Island inmate faces new charges after savagely stabbing a prison officer, authorities say.
A senior Correctional Department official said the attack occurred around 4:45 pm Monday at the prison’s mental health facility, the Anna M. Kross Center. The officer was reportedly stabbed 15 times in the back of the head and sustained serious injuries.
The prison officer should survive, a senior official said.
Law enforcement sources said the attacker was Dennis Applewhite, who has been detained in Rikers since February. The 29-year-old is accused of shooting and killing his pregnant girlfriend in 2021.
It was not immediately clear what led to the attack. AOC commissioner Louis Molina called the incident a “heinous and callous attack” on a member of the department.
“We will not tolerate any attacks on our service members who come to work every day to keep our prisons safe. We are re-arresting the person who committed this deplorable attack. We pray that this officer will recover quickly,” Molina said in a statement a statement
An investigation is ongoing.
