In the winter of 2006, Jeffery Alan Wroten, a 44-year-old male correctional officer, met a tragic and untimely end. A dedicated officer with the Maryland State Division of Correction for four years, he was assigned to the Roxbury Correctional Institution, a medium-security prison in Hagerstown, Maryland. His career in corrections also included service with the Florida and West Virginia Departments of Corrections.
On the morning of January 26, 2006, Officer Wroten was tasked with guarding
an inmate, 20-year-old Brandon Morris, at Washington County Hospital in Hagerstown. Morris was at the hospital receiving treatment for an injury. In a sudden and violent turn of events, Morris managed to overpower Officer Wroten and gain control of his service weapon. Morris then shot Officer Wroten once in the face. Despite the grievous injury, Officer Wroten fought for his life, but ultimately succumbed to the gunshot wound the following day, on January 27, 2006.
Following the shooting, Brandon Morris fled the hospital and carjacked a taxi cab. The quick-thinking taxi driver left the vehicle's microphone on, which allowed law enforcement to track their location. The pursuit crossed into Pennsylvania, where the taxi driver intentionally crashed the vehicle. Morris then fled on foot back into Maryland, where he was quickly apprehended by police.
Brandon Morris, who was already serving an eight-year sentence for assault and robbery, faced new and much more severe charges. On January 18, 2008, a little over two years after the fatal shooting, Morris was convicted of Officer Wroten's murder. He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison for his crime. The death of Officer Wroten prompted a review of security policies for guarding hospitalized inmates, particularly the practice of assigning a single officer to the task. In the wake of his death, Officer Wroten was remembered as a dedicated professional and a loving family man, survived by his five children. His family made the decision to donate his organs, a final act of giving from a man who had dedicated his life to service.
