SMYRNA, Del. – Delaware State Police ruled the death of Correctional Officer Sgt. Steven Floyd a homicide by trauma Friday night.
Floyd was found dead early Thursday after authorities used a backhoe to smash through a barricade of footlockers and end a nearly 20-hour hostage standoff at the prison. A second hostage, a female counselor, was safely rescued minutes after tactical teams forced their way into a building at the all-male, 2,500-prisoner JTVCC.
Authorities would not go into detail regarding the exact cause of Floyd’s death; only to say the autopsy result reveals homicide by trauma.
Also Friday night, at approximately 10 p.m., Delaware State Police cleared the crime scene and turned Building "C" back over to the Delaware Department of Correction.
DSP homicide unit detectives, with the assistance of the Delaware Department of Correction, are handling the investigation into the death of Correctional Floyd, which occurred at the state's largest prison.
Because of the circumstances surrounding this tragic incident, this investigation is expected to be lengthy and arduous. Detectives are continuing to conduct interviews as well as collect and examine countless pieces of physical and video evidence.
