LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Officers found an inmate murdered at High Desert State Prison on Friday, the 8 News Now Investigators have learned, as a neighboring facility reported a stabbing.
The suspect has not yet been charged and was placed in segregation, according to the Nevada Department of Corrections.
The 38-year-old murder victim has been identified as a member of the Aryan Warrior gang and was serving a 10-to-25-year sentence for drug trafficking in Washoe County. His sentence began in 2017 and would have concluded in 2030, according to department records.
He was found on the floor with a cord around his neck and an object in his eye, according to sources.
Visitation was shut down at the prison over the weekend because of a lack of enough correctional officers to run the facility. Dire staffing levels have become the norm at the Department of Corrections which has nearly 700 correctional position vacancies.
The Fraternal Order of Police Nevada C.O. Lodge 21, which represents correctional officers, has called for a significant raise to make the positions competitive with nearby law enforcement agencies.
High Desert State Prison is the same facility where four officers were removed from regular duty after an inmate died less than 48 hours after officers used force against him last month.
In a May 5 email obtained by the 8 News Now Investigators, the warden urged staff to be vigilant citing an increase in use-of-force incidents and inmates being disobedient to staff.
The 8 News Now Investigators have also learned about a stabbing at Southern Desert Correctional Center last week. The victim was airlifted to a nearby hospital and is now recovering in a prison facility. The suspect has not yet been charged and has been moved to segregation, according to the Department of Corrections.
Both the murder and stabbing are under investigation. Both prisons are located in Indian Springs, which is about a 45-minute drive north of Las Vegas.
The suspect and victim names have not yet been officially released.
