Inmate charged with deadly stabbing at Clayton County Jail
CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. - A Clayton County Jail inmate has been charged with murder after officials say he stabbed a man to death inside the jail.
Officials say 21-year-old Nicholas Hill killed 29-year-old Hakim Shahid during a fight in the jail's dayroom on Wednesday.
According to the Clayton County Sheriff's Office, Shahid attacked another inmate and was on top of the man punching him when Hill jumped into the altercation.
In the middle of the violence, officials say Hill pulled out a shank made from part of the building and stabbed Shahid.
Nicholas Hill (Clayton County Sheriff's Office)
Jail officers broke up the fight and called for the jail's medical team. Medics rushed Shahid to a local hospital, where he died.
Hill is now charged with murder, aggravated assault, and having a weapon as an inmate.
MORE: Inside the Clayton County Jail: Sheriff Allen gives FOX 5 a tour of 'deteriorating' facility
"Sheriff Levon Allen and the entire Clayton County Sheriff’s Office extend their deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Mr. Hakim Shahid during this difficult time," a spokesperson for the sheriff's department told FOX 5 in a statement.
Inmate deaths at the Clayton County Jail
Shahid is the second inmate to be killed at the Clayton County Jail in 2024.
In January, 27-year-old Johnathan Pettigrew was brutally beaten by an inmate who had been moved to the cell Pettigrew already shared with another inmate due to overcrowding. There were only two beds.
Pettigrew, who was in custody for a probation violation, was only one week shy of being released before he was killed, his family told FOX 5.
The other inmate, identified as Abdul Woodard, is charged with felony murder, aggravated assault, and simple battery.
In November 2023, Allen said they were investigating a "racially-motivated" murder after inmate Jaquez Jackson allegedly beat his cellmate - kicking and slamming his head on the toilet.
Jackson reportedly stated several times he did not like Mexicans/Hispanics and wanted to kill them.
Deteriorating conditions at the Clayton County Jail
Conditions at the jail have been described as deplorable with Sen. Jon Ossoff calling on the Department of Justice to open an investigation into how inmates were treated.
"There are credible reports and significant evidence, in my view, that conditions in the jail are inhumane, are dangerous, and put lives at risk," Ossoff said in September.
Allen has blamed overcrowding for the situation, saying that over 300 inmates are sleeping on the floor, causing the situation to become a "deadly cage match."
He has asked the Clayton County Board of Commissioners to allow him to use mobile trailers to give inmates more places to sleep.