BIG STONE GAP, Va. (WJHL) — Two correctional officers hospitalized after a reported gang stabbing at Wallens Ridge State Prison in Big Stone Gap were released on Thursday.

“Our entire agency is relieved that all five officers involved in this heinous attack have now been
discharged. They have constantly been in our prayers and are at the forefront of our thoughts,” VADOC Director Chad Dotson said in a news release. “We wish them nothing but the best in their recovery and will continue to stand by them and the rest of our Wallens Ridge family. I want to say thank you to the medical professionals who rendered aid and care to our dedicated public servants.”

On May 2, five VADOC officers were taken to a hospital after an alleged premeditated stabbing by six inmates at the Big Stone Gap prison. Three officers were released from the hospital later that day.

Five of the six inmates were confirmed MS-13 gang members from El Salvador who were in the country illegally, each convicted of various crimes including murder and rape, according to the news release.

The other inmate involved is a reported member of the Sureño 13 gang from the United States and is serving a sentence for second-degree murder.

“Our Corrections Officers are public servants who work around the clock to keep the
Commonwealth safe,” Dotson said in the release. “They protect their fellow officers, other corrections team members, people across Virginia, and the inmate population. Please know that our Department will seek to prosecute these inmates, and any inmates who so much as lay a hand on our officers, to the furthest extent of the law.”

The stabbing remains under investigation.