US federal prisons on lockdown after 2 Texas inmates killed

WASHINGTON (AP) – The federal prison system has been placed on a nationwide lockdown after two inmates were killed and two others were injured Monday during a gang altercation at a federal penitentiary in Texas.

The incident happened around 11:30 a.m. Monday at USP Beaumont, a federal prison in Beaumont, Texas.

Two people familiar with the matter tell The Associated Press the altercation involved members of the violent MS-13 street gang.

The attack is the latest example of serious violence within the beleaguered federal Bureau of Prisons.

The agency has struggled through a multitude of crises in recent years, including widespread staffing shortages, serious employee misconduct, a series of escapes and deaths.