An inmate was shot and killed Monday while holding a female worker hostage inside the Delaware Correctional Center.

The inmate, Scott Miller, 45, was serving a 699-year sentence for rape and other offenses.

Authorities said the shot was fired when negotiators believed the counselor's life had been threatened.

At 10:30 a.m. EDT Monday, officials said Miller took the female employee captive in a support building of the maximum-security section of the facility.

The hostage's name is still being withheld at this time. Miller was serving time for attacks on nine women in 1997. His convictions included sexual assault, kidnapping, and robbery.