The state Department of Corrections is investigating allegations of an intimate relationship between Kirkland and an employee of a prison vendor who may have provided a cell phone to Kirkland.
Springfield police shooting suspect Tamik Kirkland might have been helped in his escape from the minimum-security prison in Shirley with the use of a cell phone provided by an employee of a prison vendor, according to a Massachusetts Department of Corrections report.BOSTON – Murder suspect Tamik Kirkland was helped in his prison escape by a cell phone that may have been provided an employee of a state prison vendor who is alleged to have had an "inappropriate and intimate relationship" with Kirkland, said a new report on his escape by the state Department of Corrections.
The allegations about the relationship are being actively investigated and the vendor employee has been banned from all facilities of the corrections department, the report said. If the allegations are substantiated, they could be referred to the district attorney for criminal prosecution, the report said, without identifying the vendor or employee.
Kirkland fashioned a dummy from inmate clothing to make it look like he was sleeping in his dorm and then escaped via a third floor window onto a fire escape from the minimum-security prison in Shirley about midnight on April 24, the report said. The dummy was not found until about 7 the next morning, the report said.
The report also said that a correctional officer violated department policies and procedures during checks of inmates during the night and he has been "detached" pending an administrative hearing. The department is ready to terminate the officer pending the results of the hearing, the report said.
A supervisor also failed to observe and document one hourly census count by correctional officers, the report said. The supervisor failed to ensure that staff were observing "living, breathing flesh" during the checks, the report said. Based on the conclusions of an administrative hearing, the department is prepared to discipline the supervisor, the report said.
There are two major counts of inmates on the 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift at Shirley, one at 11:30 p.m. and one at 3 a.m. the report said. There are also hourly counts.
Kirkland is alleged to have killed customer Sheldon Innocent, 24, at a Springfield barbershop on April 30, about a week after he escaped from the prison on the Shirley-Lancaster line. Officials suspect he may have been looking for those responsible for the April 22 shooting of his mother as she was in the driveway of her home in Springfield. The barber was seriously wounded.
Moments later, Kirkland, an alleged gang member, was involved in a shoot-out with police at Cambridge and Burr streets. He was shot six times and critically injured. Two officers were also hit but escaped injury due to their protective vests.
Separately, state police and Hampden County authorities are investigating whether state prison employees made anonymous phone calls, threatening to kill Kirkland while he was being held at a Springfield hospital, officials said last week.
The report said that Kirkland's escape stemmed from staff procedural errors and staff misconduct, not a failure of the system. No changes in department policies or procedures are required, the report said.