Inmates charged for attacking Gaston County detention officer

GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — Two inmates at the Gaston County Detention Center are facing attempted murder charges after prosecutors say they attacked an officer inside the jail.

Channel 9’s Ken Lemon learned in court that one of the inmates is the man who’s accused of shooting a Gastonia store clerk for no reason just last year.

A prosecutor said in court Monday that Christian Campbell had no reason to attack the detention officer, either.

We’re not sharing the officer’s name, but the prosecutor shared a picture of the officer’s battered face to the judge and the suspects. The prosecutor said that other officers watching security camera monitors saw Travis Burrage and Campbell attacking the officer Sunday night.

“Strikes to his body, knee strikes to his head, his facial area -- they were attempting to push him down a stairwell,” said prosecutor Stephanie Hamlin.

Both men were charged with attempted murder. Burrage was charged with trying to strangle the officer.

Burrage was in jail for hit-and-run and other serious driving charges.

Police say Campbell pulled out a gun on Gastonia store clerk Scottie Floyd last year. Surveillance video showed Floyd using his forearm to block an almost-certain shot to the head.

Ken Lemon called Floyd to tell him about Campbell’s new charge.

“He has no regard for life,” Floyd said. “They need to do something, put him away.”

He said he now thinks differently about that shooting after hearing about the attack on a detention officer.

“I really know he was trying to kill me for no reason; I don’t even know the guy, never seen the guy before,” Floyd said.

Campbell had a hearing last week in that shooting case. During that hearing, the court noted: “defendant has 11 pending indictments which includes violent offenses and habitual felon charges; and has an extensive history of assaults on government officials and physical injury to law enforcement officers.”

Campbell told the judge Monday morning that the assault on the officer wasn’t so bad.

“I thought attempted murder charges were excessive,” Campbell said in court. “We did not plan to do none of this.”

Channel 9 learned that the officer is expected to make a full recovery.

Both defendants are being held without bond.