Tennessee investigative agency probes inmate death at prison

Friday, February 25, 2022, Vol. 46, No. 8

NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee's lead investigative agency is looking into a state prison inmate death that authorities are calling a homicide.

Tennessee Bureau of Investigation spokesperson Susan Niland identified the deceased Riverbend Maximum Security Institution inmate as 40-year-old Bradley Johnson.

Niland says the bureau on Feb. 18 responded to a homicide reported at the prison in Nashville.

Niland says the investigation is ongoing.

Tennessee Department of Correction spokesperson Dorinda Carter confirmed the TBI is investigating, likewise calling it a homicide.

Riverbend can hold 748 male inmates, 480 of those classified as high-risk. Riverbend also houses all of the state's male death row inmates.

Prison records show Johnson was serving a 43-year sentence that began in 1998.