Violence broke out at High Desert State Prison Wednesday afternoon leading to the stabbing of two inmates, reportedly by members of their own gang. The Nevada Department of Corrections confirmed the incident, as reported by 8 News Now. One of the injured inmates was airlifted to University Medical Center’s trauma unit while the other was transported by ambulance.
During what the department refers to as “tier time”—a period when inmates can leave their cells for such activities as making phone calls—the altercation occurred among “close custody” inmates, which is a category one step down from maximum security. Despite all inmates being restrained, the conflict escalated to violence. A spokesperson from the correctional department indicated that an internal investigation has been activated, and a lockdown was imposed on the facility.
This maximum-security prison, located roughly 45 minutes north of Las Vegas near Indian Springs, recently made headlines when it was converted from medium-security and began housing around two thousand inmates, including the state’s death row inmates, transferred from Ely State Prison. As indicated by News 3 Las Vegas, no further details about the stabbing incident have been released by officials at this time…