An Arkansas corrections officer was shot dead by a suspect being booked into the county jail, state police said Thursday.

A statement from Arkansas State Police, which is leading the investigation into the incident at the Perry County jail in Perryville, said the suspect is a 37-year-old man who had been arrested by deputies and was being booked into the jail Wednesday night when he somehow accessed a gun and opened fire.

The gunman is now being held in connection with the apparent homicide.

“The name of the correctional officer is being withheld at this hour during the notification of next of kin process,” the ASP’s statement read.

The suspect’s name has also not yet been released.

Arkansas Lieutenant Governor Tim Griffin addressed the guard’s killing on social media Thursday.

“My thoughts and prayers are with the officer’s family and everyone at the Perry County Sheriff’s office,” he wrote.