NEW YORK (PIX11) — A Rikers Island inmate behind bars for an alleged murder stabbed a correction captain in the neck Tuesday afternoon, officials said.
The incident occurred at the George R. Vierno Center at around 2:25 p.m., according to the Department of Corrections. The officer is in stable condition at a local hospital.
The weapon used in the attack was recovered and the incident is under investigation, the DOC said.
“This was a heinous assault on a captain who was just doing his job. Violence against staff is never tolerated,” DOC Commissioner Louis A. Molina said.
The alleged stabber is gangbanger Malik Facey, 25, who is in jail for fatally shooting James Weeks, 35, on the Lower East Side three years ago, according to police and law enforcement sources. On July 13, 2019, authorities found Weeks face up on the ground and bleeding from his head near 20 Avenue D, said an NYPD spokeswoman. The victim died at the hospital.
Facey was aiming for a rival gang member when the bullet struck Weeks, according to the Daily News. He was charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon. Facey is currently being housed at the North Infirmary Command while he awaits his next court appearance on Sept. 22, according to public court records.
Molina said the DOC is looking to charge Facey for assaulting the captain.
“Assaults in jail are as much a crime as assaults on the street, and we are pursuing rearrest and supporting charges against the individual responsible,” the commissioner said. “We have zero tolerance for assaults on staff.”
