State says guard justified in wounding prison inmate

Saturday, Jan. 20, 2001 | 9:45 a.m.

"The officer followed our use-of-force procedures to the letter," said Howard Skolnik, spokesman for the Nevada Department of Prisons.

Skolnik said the guard returned to work after a routine review of the 7 a.m. Thursday shooting. He was not expected to face disciplinary action.

The inmate's condition was upgraded from serious to stable Friday at University Medical Center in Las Vegas, where he underwent surgery for shotgun pellet wounds in his back. Skolnik said the inmate should be released from the hospital next week.

The names of the 41-year-old guard and the inmates involved in the fight were not released. Skolnik said the injured inmate is a 32-year-old Clark County man serving a 20 month-to-eight-year sentence for burglary. He has been at the prison since October.

The shooting came after verbal warnings, a blank round and a rubber bullet didn't stop two inmates brawling during breakfast in the inmate dining area, the prison spokesman said.

The guard finally fired a live shotgun round, wounding the inmate in the back.

The other inmate involved in the fight was not wounded, Skolnik said. He has been placed in solitary confinement, pending a disciplinary review.

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