A correction officer at the Massachusetts Correctional Institute in Shirley is fighting for his life after an inmate attacked him last week.
Matthew Tidman, 36, is on life support. He was hit repeatedly with a 10-15-pound piece of gym equipment.
"To see him lying on a hospital bed in this condition. It kills me," said his brother, Nick Tidman.
The Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union said the attack was unprovoked and happened when Tidman was monitoring the gym area.
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"Right in the head, right in the face," said Kevin Flanagan, legislative representative for the union. "It's nothing short of attempted murder."
Tidman's parents and brothers put together some sentiments they wanted to share.
"As a tight core family, we are devastated at Matt's current condition as he barely functions on life support, clinging to every single breath," Nick Tidman said, reading the statement aloud. "We are also devastated concerning the administration's decisions that led to this heinous act of violence."
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The inmate accused of the attack is Roy Booth, who is serving a life sentence for murder in Virginia. NBC10 Boston has learned while in prison there, Booth earned a lengthy disciplinary record comprised of 60 offenses, including a violent assault on another inmate.
In January of last year, citing his poor adjustment, the Virginia Department of Corrections recommended he be transferred to an out-of-state prison. He was put into MCI Shirley, which is medium security.
"It's safe to say now, no, this inmate should not have been in a medium security prison. The brutality of this attack is just something I have never seen in my career," said Flanagan.
The Massachusetts Department of Correction doesn't comment on specific inmates, but says it is investigating.
"The fact that there were not more provisions in place to protect the COs, that's my own internal frustration, because it could have happened to anyone, but it happened to my brother," said Tidman. "Everyone who knows Matt knows he's a fighter and will never give up."
The Middlesex County District Attorney's Office is pursuing criminal charges.
Gyms in the state's prisons are currently closed, and there is a push to remove all free weights.
