Guard and agent killed in prison gun battle

Two people have been killed in a gun battle inside a US prison when a guard opened fire on FBI agents who had come to arrest him on suspicion of demanding sex from female inmates.

The guard, named as Ralph Hill, and a US Justice Department investigator were killed in the shootout at the prison in Tallahassee in Florida.

A prison employee helping with the arrest was also taken to hospital.

Five other guards have been charged with having sex with female inmates in exchange for money, drugs and alcohol.

When law enforcement officials arrived at the prison to arrest the men, one of the guards shot a federal correctional officer, said FBI spokesman John Girgenti. He said the officers fired back.

The guard fired with a personal weapon, wounding a Bureau of Prisons employee who was assisting with the arrest.

Agents from the Justice Department’s inspector general’s office returned fire, killing the guard. A Justice Department agent was killed in the exchange.

“These agents were out just trying to do their job, trying to do an arrest in a very controlled situation, and it just didn’t come down exactly as planned,” FBI agent Michael Folmar said.

The dead agent was identified as William Sentner, 44, who formerly worked for the Secret Service before joining the inspector general’s office in 2002.

The identity of the injured official was not disclosed, but he was reported in stable condition.

Hill, 43, had voluntarily supplied a saliva sample after authorities began investigating the sex-for-contraband scandal in November.

The prison houses mostly men who are being processed before entering the prison system and is part of the Tallahassee Federal Correctional Institution.

A low-security prison for female inmates is next to the detention centre. Together the men’s and women’s units house 1,445 inmates.

Guards are prohibited from bringing personal weapons into prisons but are not screened the way visitors are, a spokesman said.

The five other guards entered not-guilty pleas in court and were scheduled for a bail hearing today.

They were charged with conspiracy to commit bribery, witness tampering, mail fraud and racketeering. If convicted, they could face up to 20 years in prison.