Reginald Basile, an incarcerated man at Louisiana State Penitentiary died on Tuesday after a struggle with correctional officers inside a dormitory, according to accounts from incarcerated men who were in the area. The cause of death won’t be known until after an autopsy.
Basile was from Lake Charles, which also gave him his nickname, L.C., which is how he was known among the men at Angola.
People in different parts of the prison who saw Basile on Tuesday described his behavior as erratic, possibly drug-related, leading a correctional officer to call for backup. Three female and two male officers ultimately restrained him after a struggle, during which Basile could be heard shouting that officers were trying to kill him, a source said.
One guard, a woman, was seen on camera kicking Basile, according to another source.
Basile was carried out on a stretcher, in restraints but not moving. In the hours that followed, word spread within the prison that Basile’s neck was broken, though that account has not been independently verified.
The Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections did not immediately respond to questions about the incident.
