Inmate Armed with Makeshift Weapon Dies During Altercation with Officers at Georgia Prison

Wheeler County, Georgia – The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) is looking into the death of an inmate following a use-of-force incident at Wheeler Correctional Facility in Alamo, GA, early Sunday morning.

According to preliminary information, the incident happened around 5:45 a.m. on November 2, 2025. Correctional officers were responding to reports of erratic and combative behavior by inmate Dustin Parham, 35, inside a dormitory.

Officials say Parham was armed with a makeshift metal weapon fashioned from wire fencing and was acting abnormally near the dormitory doorway. As officers attempted to restrain him, Parham was secured in handcuffs through the doorway while continuing to resist. Officers deployed OC spray during the struggle in an effort to gain compliance.

While being placed on a medical gurney for restraint and evaluation, Parham became unresponsive. He was pronounced dead at the scene. No officers were injured during the incident.

Parham’s body will be taken to the Coastal Crime Lab in Pooler for an autopsy. The GBI will conduct an independent investigation, and once complete, the findings will be turned over to the Oconee Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for review.