Prison Worker Fatally Shot by Inmate in Georgia, Mother Finds Out Through Contraband Call

Food service worker Aureon Grace was fatally shot by an inmate in a Georgia prison

The mother of a prison worker at Georgia's Smith State Prison learned of her daughter's tragic death after receiving a call from an inmate using a contraband phone.

Aureon Grace, 24, an Aramark employee, was working in the prison’s kitchen on June 16 when inmate Jaydrekus Hart fatally shot her, according to the Georgia Corrections Department. Hart then turned the gun on himself and was later pronounced dead at the hospital.

Grace’s mother, Deshonda Hagins, revealed on social media that she discovered the heartbreaking news through a call from inmates. "The inmates were going through her social media and trying to find someone related to her," Hagins said, according to Fox5.

Hagins criticized the prison for failing to protect her daughter. “They failed her. You failed her,” she told TV station WTOC. “My child is dead, and there’s no explanation for a firearm to be inside of a prison.”

It remains unclear how Hart obtained the gun. The corrections department now has custody of the weapon and is conducting a thorough investigation to determine the events leading up to the tragedy. Hagins questioned the prison's security measures, asking, “Why didn’t they search him when he left his dorm, why didn’t they search him before he came into the cafeteria? Why were none of those things done?”

Photo of Grace days before she was fatally shot while working

Grace, who left behind a four-year-old daughter and a one-year-old son, was described by her mother as a dedicated and hardworking individual. “She was a sister, she was a daughter, she was a mother. She was loved,” Hagins said. “She would work 11 days straight, 14 days straight, just to make money to make sure she could provide for her kids.”

“No one deserves to die like that. No one deserves to leave their children behind. I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy,” Hagins added.

The Georgia Corrections Department confirmed that another inmate used a contraband cell phone to call one of Grace’s immediate family members. The department acknowledged that the call “was premature, as the facility staff was working on determining details in order to accurately communicate to the family.”

Hart was serving a 20-year sentence for voluntary manslaughter and was due for release in June 2043.