UPDATE: Officer Stabbed and Killed at Telfair County State Prison Identified

HELENA, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The Georgia Department of Corrections officer who was stabbed and killed at Telfair State Prison Thursday night has been identified.

Department of Corrections spokeswoman, Gwendolyn Hogan, identified the victim as 46-year-old Officer Larry Stell. Stell has been with the department since August 2001. She says Stell was assaulted by an inmate which resulted in his death.

The investigation has been handed over to the Georgia Bureau of Investigations office out of Eastman. GBI Investigator Todd Lowery told 41NBC the inmate used some type of improvised knife to stab Stell.

Lowery tells us the inmate has been sequestered, and their office is still piecing together the events that led to the stabbing. He says his office has already interviewed about 80 inmates and 20 prison guards. They’re not releasing the name of the inmate until charges have been filed.

The incident happened yesterday evening. 41NBC spoke with Telfair County Sheriff Johnny Smith, who told us deputies were outside the prison securing the perimeter. They were dispatched there some time between 6 and 6:30 Thursday night. No word on the events that led up to the stabbing yet.