Delaware prison guard Sergeant Steven Floyd was found dead and a female employee was rescued on Thursday morning after inmates took jail staff hostage in a tense 20-hour standoff

A 16-year veteran guard at a Delaware prison was found dead when a tense 20-hour siege came to an end after police stormed a cell block where inmates had taken staff hostage.

Sergeant Steven Floyd, 47, was found dead on Thursday morning after police entered Building C of the Vaughn Correctional Center in Smyrna following the day-long hostage situation.

A female counselor was found alive but injured when police breached the building just after 5am.

Floyd had worked at the prison for 16 years. Police could not confirm how or when Floyd died.

Prisoners took over part of the jail and seized the three officers and one counselor at 10.30am on Wednesday in a protest over President Donald Trump.

Two of the officers were released and 41 inmates had exited the building by Wednesday evening.

Inmates had armed themselves with 'sharp objects' during the deadly siege.

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Police searched Delaware prison inmates in the yard after they found an officer dead inside the building on Thursday morning following a 20-hour hostage situation

Police said three maintenance workers who were hiding in the basement managed to climb up to the roof about 11pm and were rescued safely.

All 120 inmates who were inside the building when the siege broke out are now suspects.

Inmates had earlier contacted a local newspaper to make demands and highlight their concerns, which included a fear of Trump and complaints over the lack of access to education and rehabilitation services.

One of the demands was for the water supply in the building to be switched back on.

Police said the inmates subsequently took advantage of this to fill steel foot lockers with water so they could help barricade the doors.

Authorities do not yet have a motive for the hostage situation or how inmates were able to gain control.

Floyd had worked at the prison for 16 years. Police could not confirm how or when Floyd died

Some inmates had armed themselves with sharp weapons, according to officials.

Joe Simon, a lieutenant at the prison described Floyd as an 'outstanding officer.'

'He was a straight-up guy - absolutely no bulls**t about him. You knew exactly where he was coming from. He was also very funny,' Simon told DailyMail.com in an exclusive interview.

'He ran a tight ship - and sometimes those inside don't like that. But he really cared for the people he was supervising in there.'

Simon, a 23-year veteran prison guard, confirmed that tensions inside the prison had risen in recent weeks, especially since the election.

'It's certainly got worse over the last couple of weeks,' he said.

'The prison population is probably 65 percent black and many of them don't like Trump's racial policies. But, of course, it's a black officer who has been killed. I don't understand that.'

Block C where Floyd met his death, houses 126 prisoners - who are either moving to a less restrictive area after time in maximum security or moving up after time in minimum security.

'It's either "you've been good we'll give you a chance" or "you've misbehaved and we need to move you",' Simon said.

Now, Simon, who got off duty shortly before the prisoners' blockade was ended after working 20 hours straight, says the officers will have to 'put our game-face on and go back in there.'

'But one thing's for sure, things will never be the same.'

Floyd, pictured with his wife Saundra, had been working at the prison for 16 years. He has been described by colleagues as an 'outstanding officer'

After authorities found the guard dead inside the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center building, they took the inmates to the yard to search them all individually

James T. Vaughn Correctional Center in Smyrna, Delaware went into lockdown on Wednesday as police swarmed the facility due to a hostage situation

Robert Coupe, secretary of the state Department of Safety and Homeland Security, confirmed Floyd's death at a press conference on Thursday morning

Governor John Carney said: 'I'm praying hard for the fallen officer's family.'

'This serves as a tragic reminder that members of law enforcement risk their lives every day on behalf of the people of Delaware. We will stand by the fallen officer's family and fellow law enforcement officers during what is an extremely difficult time.

'This was a long and agonizing situation. I want to thank all those involved in responding, including officers at the Department of Correction and the Delaware State Police, as well as our federal partners.

'Our priority now will be to determine what happened and how this happened. We will hold accountable anyone who was responsible. And we will make whatever changes are necessary to ensure nothing like it ever happens again.'

A large group of law enforcement officers surrounded the 2,500-inmate facility while the hours-long negotiations with the ringleaders progressed on Wednesday.

Authorities believe the takeover began around 10.30am on Wednesday when a prison officer inside Building C called for back-up. Officers responded to help and four employees were taken hostage.

The inmates released one hostage around 2.40pm on Wednesday who was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Another officer was released several hours later and was also treated in hospital.

Dozens of inmates surrendered to police through out the night.

Mounted police patrolled the road outside Vaugh Corrections Center on Thursday after the deadly hostage siege came to an end

Commissioner Perry Phelps fought back tears on Thursday morning as he revealed the identity of slain corrections officer Sergeant Steven Floyd

Video courtesy of WBOC

Inmates had earlier reached out to their local newspaper - The News Journal - in Wilmington in two phone calls to explain their concerns, including the leadership of the U.S., educational opportunities, rehabilitation and how the state spends money on prisons.

The made the calls with the help of one inmate's fiancee and another person's mother. The mother told the paper her son was among the hostages.

In that call, an inmate said their reasons 'for doing what we're doing' included 'Donald Trump. Everything that he did. All the things that he's doing now. We know that the institution is going to change for the worse.'

That caller said education for prisoners was the inmates' priority. They also sought effective rehabilitation for all prisoners and information about how money is allocated to prisons.

Video from above the prison Wednesday afternoon showed uniformed officers gathered in two groups along fences near an entrance to the prison.

Later, video showed several people surrounding a stretcher and running as they pushed it across the compound. People could be seen standing near a set of doors with an empty stretcher and wheelchair.

Blood Bank Delmarva tweeted about 12pm saying they were in need of O blood type and platelet donations to go to Smyrna.

Governor John Carney issued a statement saying he was praying for the officer's family

Four guards were taken hostage at the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center in Smyrna, Delaware at 10.30am on Wednesday

Firefighters were called to the scene after reports of smoke and were being held on standby

Dozens of emergency response teams and Delaware State Police swarmed the prison as helicopters circled above the buildings when the hostage situation was first reported.

The Department of Correction initially only said that an emergency situation was reported at the Smyrna prison late Wednesday morning.

The facility and all other prisons in the state were placed on lockdown, which is protocol if an emergency happens at one of the facilities.

According to the department's website, the prison is Delaware's largest correctional facility for men, housing about 2,500 inmates.

It houses minimum, medium, and maximum security inmates, and also houses Kent County detainees awaiting trial. It is also the site of the state's death row and where executions were carried out. The prison opened in 1971.

The last hostage situation at the prison occurred in 2004 when inmate Scott Miller raped a counselor and took her hostage for nearly seven hours.

A department sharpshooter later shot and killed the 45-year-old ending the standoff.

Dover attorney Stephen Hampton, who has represented state inmates in civil rights cases, said complaints have increased in the past year from inmates system-wide about substandard medical care and poor record-keeping.

Hampton also said that pretrial inmates at Vaughn and other facilities are locked up for much of the day, without access to gyms or libraries, because rules prohibit mixing pretrial and sentenced inmates.

He said prisoners awaiting trial sometimes make deals to get out of their cells. He added: 'There gets to be a tremendous pressure on these inmates.'

Video from above the prison on Wednesday showed uniformed officers gathered in two groups along fences near an entrance to the prison

The prison was placed into lockdown as police swarmed the facility early Wednesday morning