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A volunteer shift had one Ohio corrections officer make “the ultimate sacrifice” on Christmas Day in a “tragedy beyond comprehension.”



(Video: NBC4 Columbus)

While families gathered with loved ones to celebrate on Christmas morning, the doorstep of Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction Officer Andrew Lansing was darkened by the news that the 62-year-old had been killed after “an inmate assault” at the Ross Correctional Facility in Chillicothe.

“It is with great sadness that I confirm the tragic death of Correction Officer Andrew Lansing following an inmate assault that occurred at Ross Correctional Institution this morning,” said ODRC Director Annette Chambers-Smith in a statement released later that day.

Though not initially revealed, the inmate allegedly responsible for the attack had since been identified as 27-year-old Rashawn Cannon who’d been convicted of felonious assault and weapon under disability charges with an expected release of Aug. 5, 2030.

Chambers-Smith had confirmed to NBC4 Columbus that a history between Cannon and the officer included Lansing filing a conduct report against the inmate in April that charged him with disrespect, threats and disobedience to a direct order.

The attack on the officer was said to have happened in a guard shack which the director said was a shelter structure on the yard side of the prison, and the suspect had been relocated to another facility.

“Officer Lansing is a long-time, well-respected employee at Ross, and his untimely death — on Christmas Day — is heartbreaking for his family, the entire Ross Correctional Institution family, and our agency as a whole,” said the statement from Chambers-Smith. “Officer Lansing was loved by his colleagues and known to be a great support for his fellow RCI staff. He was a friendly, outgoing officer who treated everyone with respect and was always a professional.”

“The loss of a staff person is difficult, but to lose a family member on Christmas Day at the hands of someone in our custody is a tragedy beyond comprehension. Instead of going home after his shift to be with his family on this holiday, Officer Lansing made the ultimate sacrifice, and our agency will never be the same,” she added.

While the corrections officers’ union had raised concerns about staffing, the director noted that, despite the overall eight percent vacancy rate in the state of Ohio, all positions were filled at the prison the day that Lansing, who had volunteered to work overtime on Christmas so co-workers could have the holiday off, had been attacked.

In response to the incident, the second death of a corrections officer in Ohio in 2024 according to The Columbus Dispatch which noted Lt. Rodney Osborne had died after a gunshot wound during a training exercise, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) had ordered the flags be flown at half-staff until Lansing’s funeral.

He was survived by his wife, two children and other family members according to an obituary posted by Ware Funeral Home.

Kevin Haggerty
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