WRDW News 12 reporter Maggie Fitzgerald says an investigation is now underway after a deadly disturbance at Washington State Prison on Sunday.
Maggie Fitzgerald reports that three inmates died and a correctional officer was injured in what officials believe was a gang-related fight, erupting during visitation hours.
The most haunting part of Fitzgerald’s report isn’t just the body count.
It’s the idea that families were inside a visitation room thinking they were there for a normal, controlled visit – until the prison’s “inside world” suddenly spilled right into the public-facing space.
Who Died, And What Officials Say About The Fight
Maggie Fitzgerald names the three inmates who were killed: Ahmod Hatcher, Jimmy Trammell, and Teddy Jackson.
She reports Hatcher was 23 years old and serving 20 years tied to an aggravated assault from Richmond County.
Fitzgerald says Jimmy Trammell was serving 20 years for first-degree burglary out of Fulton County.
And Fitzgerald reports Teddy Jackson was serving 10 years for aggravated assault in Bibb County.
Even reading those sentences feels strange, because prison is supposed to be the place where the state has full control.
Yet Maggie Fitzgerald’s reporting describes a scene that sounds less like a controlled facility and more like a flash riot – blood, weapons, and chaos showing up where visitors were sitting.
“It Felt Off” Before The Door Burst Open
Maggie Fitzgerald says an eyewitness – who asked to remain anonymous for safety – told WRDW that what started as a routine Sunday visit turned into a nightmare.
The anonymous visitor told Fitzgerald it “all happened in seconds,” but also said there were warning signs that something was wrong.
The witness said she saw guards bolt out of the visitation area Sunday afternoon.
And she noticed it left one female officer inside, watching a room full of visitors.
That detail is chilling on its own.
Because if staff are running out of a room, they’re not running for exercise—something has already gotten dangerous, and it’s already moving.
“Don’t Open That Door”
Maggie Fitzgerald reports the anonymous visitor recalled hearing loud, urgent noise over the walkie-talkies.
The witness told Fitzgerald: “Something is going on. We heard very loud almost yelling coming from the walkie-talkies.”
And the witness said she heard the officer saying, “Don’t open that door. You can’t come in here.”
That line sticks because it flips the normal prison reality on its head.
In most people’s minds, guards are the ones keeping doors locked, controlling movement, and managing access.
But Fitzgerald’s reporting suggests a moment where the officer was essentially pleading with whoever was behind that door, because whatever was coming wasn’t routine traffic.
Keys Taken, And A Visitation Room Breached
Maggie Fitzgerald says the witness believed a group of inmates overpowered a guard and took his keys.
That’s the kind of detail that makes this story feel like a security breakdown, not just a scuffle between inmates.
Keys in a prison aren’t just metal.
They’re the difference between containment and mayhem.
The anonymous visitor told Fitzgerald the prisoners were “right behind” the guard, “hot on her heels,” and described blood and weapons as they pushed into the visiting area.
She said they “busted through a door,” and the terrifying part was where they ended up.
“They’re standing between us and our loved ones,” the witness told Maggie Fitzgerald.
That one sentence explains why people are shaken even if they weren’t physically injured.
In that moment, the room wasn’t just a place to talk. It became a hostage-like emotional trap – where you can see your loved one, but chaos is between you.
The Fear That Lingers After The Noise Stops
Maggie Fitzgerald reports the anonymous visitor is still processing what happened.
The witness told Fitzgerald: “It’s really just now hitting me how dangerous it really was. How much worse it could have been.”
That reaction feels honest, because adrenaline does weird things.
Sometimes you don’t even feel fear until after you’re out of the building, driving home, replaying it in your head, realizing what could have happened if the violence had turned outward.
And to be blunt, it’s hard not to think about the nightmare scenario—visitors caught in the middle, or someone deciding to use the crowd as leverage.
Fitzgerald’s report doesn’t say that happened.
But it doesn’t take much imagination to understand why people who were there would be shaken for a long time.
A Mother Says Her Son Warned Her
Maggie Fitzgerald reports that Ahmod Hatcher’s family is demanding answers and accountability.
Fitzgerald says the family claims Hatcher had warned his mother about unsafe conditions inside the prison.
In a phone call quoted by Fitzgerald, Deamonte Hatcher, identified as the victim’s mother, describes heartbreak and blame in raw terms.
“A piece of my heart just was torn out of my chest,” she told Maggie Fitzgerald.
She also said her son was scared for his life, and she believes failures by the people responsible for safety contributed to his death.
Whether or not investigators agree with her conclusion later, her emotion makes sense.
Because when a person is already “in custody,” families expect the state to at least control the environment enough to prevent a riot-style killing during visitation hours.
Sheriff Cochran Says The Prison Was Secured
Maggie Fitzgerald reports Sheriff Joel Cochran said the scene was secured and inmates were accounted for by 6 p.m. Sunday.
Fitzgerald also notes the Georgia Department of Corrections is investigating.
That official timeline is meant to calm people down.
But the reality is, “secured by 6 p.m.” doesn’t undo the fact that three men were killed, an officer was injured, and visitors were exposed to a moment of uncontrolled violence.
It also doesn’t answer the question families will keep asking: how did it get to the point where keys could be taken and a visitation room could be breached?
The Twelve Injured And The Invisible Scars
Maggie Fitzgerald’s report makes it clear three people died, but it also points to a bigger human toll.
Sheriff Joel Cochran, as cited in the report details connected to Fitzgerald’s coverage, indicated about a dozen inmates were injured.
That matters because large prison brawls don’t leave “light injuries.”
In a confined space, violence tends to be brutal and fast.
And beyond the physical injuries, there’s another kind of harm people don’t always count.
Visitors who watched the door burst open, heard shouting, saw blood, and feared they were about to be trapped – those people may not show up in a casualty list, but some will carry it for years.
It’s one thing to hear prison is dangerous. It’s another to see it explode in front of you while you’re sitting in a room meant for families.
What This Says About Control And Confidence
Maggie Fitzgerald’s reporting raises a hard point without saying it outright: a prison’s legitimacy depends on control.
If the public believes inmates can overwhelm staff, grab keys, and force their way into a visitation area, trust collapses quickly.
And once public trust collapses, every other prison debate gets uglier – staffing, funding, security policies, inmate housing, gang management, contraband, and whether the facility is being run like a system or like a patchwork.
I also can’t ignore the timing.
Visitation hours are supposed to be a “high supervision” time, because there are outsiders present.
So if something like this breaks out then, it raises questions about what happens when there aren’t visitors around and the only witnesses are inmates and staff.
The Questions That Won’t Go Away
Maggie Fitzgerald says investigators are still working to determine what prompted the dispute.
That’s the standard line early in these cases, and it may take time to confirm motives, identify who started what, and map the chain of events.
But the biggest questions are already obvious.
How did a group of inmates become “armed” in the way the witness described?
How did they overpower a guard and get keys?
Why did guards bolt from the visitation area in a way that left one officer inside?
And what changes – staffing, procedures, or security upgrades – will be made so families aren’t ever forced into that kind of fear again?
Maggie Fitzgerald’s report shows a prison incident that didn’t stay behind prison walls. It broke into the one space designed to keep families connected, and it did it fast.
And that’s why this won’t just be remembered as “another prison fight.” For the people who were there, it will be remembered as the moment a normal Sunday visit turned into survival mode.
Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, John developed a love for the great outdoors early on. With years of experience as a wilderness guide, he’s navigated rugged terrains and unpredictable weather patterns. John is also an avid hunter and fisherman who believes in sustainable living. His focus on practical survival skills, from building shelters to purifying water, reflects his passion for preparedness. When he’s not out in the wild, you can find him sharing his knowledge through writing, hoping to inspire others to embrace self-reliance.
