The gunman accused of killing nine black parishioners at a Charleston, South Carolina, church last year was attacked in jail by another inmate early Thursday (August 4) but not badly injured, Charleston County Sheriff Al Cannon said.
Dylann Roof, 22, was outside his cell at the North Charleston jail where he is detained when the assault occurred and a detention officer broke up the fight, Cannon said at a news conference.
The attacker was 25-year-old Dwayne Stafford, Cannon said.
Roof was examined by in-house medical staff after the brief physical altercation at the Sheriff Al Cannon Detention Center and had no immediately apparent injuries, a Sheriff's department spokesman said earlier.
Cannon said that at the time of the attack, one of the detention officers guarding Roof had taken a break and one had gone to provide supplies to another inmate.
"The detention officers, one of whom had taken a break, one who had been called to another cell to provide toilet tissue, that detention officer quickly responded, separated the two and we began an investigation," Cannon said.
Roof is facing the death penalty in both federal and state court, where prosecutors charged him with dozens of offenses including murder. The deadly attack occurred during a Bible study session at Charleston's historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church on June 17, 2015.
Court records filed by prosecutors in federal court last month said Roof used eight Glock handgun magazines and fired about 80 rounds during the massacre. The records alleged that Roof plotted the attack for months, calling the church from his home and paying a web hosting company where he posted a manifesto online as early as February 2015.