12 Inmates Wounded and One Shot by Officers at New Folsom Prison

A Sacramento ambulance leaving the area of New Folsom prison where unrest was reported on September 20, 2012. California has witnessed protests by prisoners since 2011., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

September 20, 2012 8:13 AM

Folsom Prison Riot: 12 inmates wounded, one prisoner shot by officers, report says

By Crimesider Staff .

(CBS/AP) FOLSOM, Calif. - A prisoner was shot and 12 others were wounded in a riot Wednesday morning at a California prison, officials said.

A disturbance broke out shortly after 11 a.m. Wednesday at the California State Prison, Sacramento in Folsom, said Terry Thornton, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Thornton said one inmate was shot by correctional officers while at least 12 others were taken to the hospital after being stabbed or slashed during the riot. Four were treated and returned to the prison.

Prison officials said 60 inmates were involved in the disturbance, but have not released additional details as to what provoked it.

Correctional officers tried to contain the riot by firing non-lethal rounds of an unspecified type, Thornton said. They also fired six shots from a rifle. The state plans to investigate the decision to use potentially deadly force, which is a standard procedure.

The 2,800-inmate maximum-security facility opened in 1986 and is commonly known as New Folsom, due to its proximity to the more well-known Folsom State Prison, located 20 miles east of Sacramento.

This is at least the second known incident within a year at New Folsom Prison. In December, 11 inmates were hospitalized, including one shot by officers, after a riot that involved 150 inmates. One officer was injured during the confrontation.

The prison was also the scene of a riot in May 2011 that sent six inmates to outside hospitals, two with serious injuries.