LIVINGSTON, Texas — Five inmates tried to escape from a prison unit in Livingston after a church service at the facility, but guards thwarted the attempt and shot three escapees in the process, a prison official said Saturday.
The two who were not shot in the failed escape Friday night at the Polunsky unit have been taken into custody at the prison, said Department of Justice spokesman Jason Clark.
The three who were shot were taken to area hospitals where they remained Saturday but their injuries were not life threatening, Clark said. He said all five suffered lacerations from razor wire atop an interior fence.
The five face felony attempted escape charges.
The inmates were returning to their housing area from the unit gym where they had attended a church service when they tried to scale an interior fence and head for the perimeter fence, Clark said.
Albin Zelaya-Zelaya, 29, 27-year-old Michael Dueitt, and Terry McDonald, 29, all suffered gunshot wounds, Clark said.
Juan Quintero, 36, and 41-year-old Donald Gower were treated for lacerations and were returned to the unit, he said.
Quintero was sentenced to life for capital murder in the 2006 death of Houston police officer Rodney Johnson. He shot the officer from the back seat of a patrol car. Quintero is an illegal immigrant, and his case sparked debate over police policy regarding the checking of immigration status of defendants.
John Jordan, who prosecuted Quintero, told the Houston Chronicle he was relieved to learn that prison guards had prevented him from making it over the fence.
"Until Juan Quintero takes his last breath, he will be a threat to the community," Jordan said. "I've no doubt he would have killed somebody if he would have gotten out. It's a good thing officers stopped him."
Zelaya-Zelaya is serving a life sentence for burglary with an intent to commit a felony; Dueitt and Gowan are serving life sentences for capital murder; and McDonald is serving a life sentence for murder, according to Texas Department of Criminal Justice records.
The Polunsky Unit remained on lockdown Saturday.
