Stillwater corrections officer's funeral to be held Thursday

Joseph Gomm, 45, was killed while on duty last week.

July 22, 2018 at 1:21PM
Joseph Gomm was a corrections officer killed by an inmate at Stillwater prison.
Joseph Gomm was a corrections officer killed by an inmate at Stillwater prison. (Vince Tuss/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

The Minnesota Department of Corrections has announced funeral arrangements for Joseph Gomm, a corrections officer killed last week in Stillwater prison. An inmate is suspected in his death.

Gomm, 45, of Blaine, was attacked Wednesday inside an industry building at the prison. He is the first corrections officer in Minnesota to be killed while on duty.

His funeral will be held Thursday at 11 a.m. at North Heights Lutheran Church in Arden Hills, the Department of Corrections said. The church is at 1700 W. Hwy 96.

The department is expected to release more details about the funeral in coming days.

Inmate Edward Muhammad Johnson, 42, is accused of bludgeoning the corrections officer with a hammer and stabbing him, a source told the Star Tribune. Johnson was serving a 29-year sentence for the murder of his 22-year-old Bloomington housemate in 2002.

Three corrections officers at Stillwater and Oak Park Heights prisons have resigned following Gomm's death.

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Miguel Otárola

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Miguel Otárola is a reporter covering Minneapolis City Hall for the Star Tribune. He previously covered Minneapolis' western suburbs and breaking news. He also writes about immigration and music on occasion.

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