S.C. prison inmate dies after ‘altercation’ with cellmate from Rock Hill

An inmate in a state prison died early Thursday after an altercation with an inmate from Rock Hill, according to the S.C. Department of Corrections.

Ryan Mansfield, 24, of Richland County died around 1:50 a.m., Thursday “as a result of an altercation” with his cellmate, Michael Jerome Brice, according to Stephanie Givens, a spokeswoman for the Department of Corrections. Both men were housed in the Cooper dorm wing of Lieber Correctional Institution in Ridgeville.

Details about the altercation were not available Thursday.

Agents with the Department of Corrections and the Office of Inspector General are investigating, Givens said. One wing of Cooper dorm where the incident occurred remains on lockdown while agents investigate. The rest of the institution is operating normally.

Lieber is a maximum-security facility that houses more than 1,200 inmates, according to Givens.

Brice is serving time after pleading guilty in January to drug and weapon charges stemming from his arrest near Finley Road Elementary School last April.

Less than a month after beginning his sentence, he was disciplined for striking an inmate, according to prison records.

This story was originally published July 21, 2016 at 12:17 PM with the headline "S.C. prison inmate dies after ‘altercation’ with cellmate from Rock Hill."