8 are killed in shooting at armory

Inmates stormed the facility and one fired indiscriminately, officials said.
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Inmates stormed a prison armory in a northern Baghdad suburb Wednesday, with one grabbing an AK-47 rifle from an Iraqi guard and firing indiscriminately, killing eight people and wounding a U.S. soldier, Iraqi and American military officials said.
The botched escape attempt comes days after the United States said it would not hand over prisoners to Iraqi officials until they improved conditions in the overcrowded prison system.
Wednesday's violence occurred at the Justice Ministry's A'dala Prison in the suburb of Kazimiyah. The facility used to be military intelligence headquarters under Saddam Hussein and housed Iraqis and foreigners.
An Iraqi prisoner managed to disarm a guard and fired randomly with his assault rifle, said Iraqi aArmy Brig. Gen. Jalil al-Mehamadawi. Four guards and four inmates were killed before the gunman was restrained.
The U.S. military's account differed somewhat., though. A statement by Sgt. Keith Robinson said "it was reported that 16 prisoners attempted to escape the facility after first storming the armory and obtaining an undetermined number of weapons."
Besides the eight deaths, one U.S. soldier and five prisoners were injured, Robinson said.
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said Wednesday that the prison was not under U.S. control even though at least one American military member was injured in the assault.
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