FLORENCE, COLORADO: The prisoner who is accused of stabbing Larry Nassar at a Florida federal penitentiary, has disclosed the reason behind his attack. On Sunday, July 9, Nassar was attacked by Shane McMillan with a makeshift weapon and he was stabbed multiple times in the neck, chest, and back. According to the person with insights into the incident, four other inmates were reportedly rushed in and pulled McMillan off Nassar.

The inmate was previously convicted of assaulting a correctional officer at a federal penitentiary in Louisiana in 2006 and also tried to fatally stab another inmate at the federal Supermax prison in Florence, Colorado in 2011, court records show. Correctional officers assigned to the unit at the United States Penitentiary Coleman performed what they claimed life-saving measures after they responded to Nassar's cell. He was taken to a medical facility where he is now in stable condition with injuries including a collapsed lung.

Why was Larry Nassar attacked?

A source close told Associated Press that Shane McMillan attacked Nassar after he made a lewd remark while they were watching a Wimbledon tennis match on TV. The incident was not recorded on surveillance cameras which only point at common areas and corridors. McMillan, 49, told prison workers that Nassar commented on wanting to see girls playing in the Wimbledon women’s match, the source said.

Nassar was attacked for the second time while in federal custody

Larry Nassar is currently serving years in prison for sexually abusing athletes, including college and Olympic gymnastics stars, and possessing explicit images of children. The Bureau of Prisons noted that there were sufficient guards at the prison where Nassar was stabbed, even though documents obtained by the outlet show one-third of correctional officer positions remain unfilled at the prison.

The agency, in a statement on Wednesday, July 12, said, it was “imperative that we increase our staffing levels” and said it was hiring officers and using financial incentives to try to retain workers. Officials said they are still working to “tackle the problem violence in our facilities” and they have improved their security procedures, but would not disclose any details.

“The BOP takes seriously our duty to protect the individuals entrusted in our custody, as well as maintain the safety of correctional staff and the community,” agency spokesperson Scott Taylor said before adding “We make every effort to ensure the physical safety of individuals confined to our facilities through a controlled environment that is secure and humane." “As we continue to pivot out of a years-long pandemic, there are still challenges to confront and opportunities to improve our agency, protect the lives of those who work for us, and ensure the wellbeing of those entrusted to our custody," he further stated.

According to a Bureau of Prisons inmate database and court records, McMillan is scheduled to be released from prison in May 2046 but that could now change if he is charged and convicted of attacking Nassar.

Who is Shane McMillan?

McMillian, who was found guilty in Wyoming of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in 2002, was originally sentenced to more than two decades in prison. He was expected to get released the next year before his convictions for the Louisiana and Colorado prison attacks more than doubled his sentence.

McMillan also punched a correctional officer who approached him in the recreation yard at the United States Penitentiary in Pollock, Louisiana, in October 2006, while probing him for a prior inmate assault. The attack knocked the officer to the ground, resulting in cuts and bruising to his face and nose. McMillan was subsequently sentenced to an additional five years.

According to court records, McMillan and another inmate attempted to kill a prisoner at the federal Bureau of Prisons’ Administrative Maximum Facility in Florence, Colorado, in November 2011. McMillan and the other inmate stabbed the prisoner 66 times in a recreation area of the prison, known as the “Alcatraz of the Rockies.” The notorious duo were eventually each handed an additional 20 years for the attack.