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A gang of black inmates at Union Correctional Institution...

RAIFORD, Fla. -- A gang of black inmates at Union Correctional Institution killed one white correctional officer and stabbed three others Thursday, a prison spokesman said.

Vernon Bradford of the state Department of Corrections identified the dead man as Sgt. John S. Dennard, 29, a five-year veteran.

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He died at 6:25 p.m. EDT in surgery at Shands Teaching Hospital in Gainesville, where he was taken by a Medivac helicopter, said Virginia Hunt, a spokeswoman for the hospital.

Four hours earlier, Dennard and three other officers were attacked by a group of 'six to eight' black inmates, Bradford said. He said two homemade knives were recovered.

Five of the suspects were transferred to maximum-security Florida State Prison.

'We have no idea what the motive was -- we haven't had any problems at the prison for some time,' Bradford said. 'They seemed to be sober and didn't look like they were doped up or anything.'

The other officers, all reported in stable condition at Shands, were identified as Thomas W. Barker, 29, stab wound to the left part of the neck; Richard M. Harvey, 29, lacerated right ear; and Mitchell Anderson, 32, stab wounds to the right neck and shoulder.

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Bradford said Dennard and another officer, members of a special squad, were standing by the west gate of the main housing unit at about 2:10 p.m., when the black inmates started running at them.

'They stabbed them and ran,' he said. 'Then they grabbed two wing officers and started stabbing them. Then they ran onto a cell block. Officers quickly hit a button that closes the doors to the cells automatically.'

'They were hit-and-run attacks -- no one else took part,' said Bradford.

The main housing unit was shut down and all inmates confined to their cells and dormitories. But later in the afternoon, UCI Supt. Raymond Massey said the inmates were fed normally and were given recreation.

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