Kern Valley State Prison (KVSP) administrators are investigating the death of an inmate who was fatally shot while he attacked another inmate.

At about 10:15 a.m., two inmates attacked another inmate who fell to the ground and lost consciousness. The assailants continued to attack the inmate who was unable to defend himself, according to officials.

A California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) correctional officer fired one warning shot from the Mini 14 rifle to stop the attack, but the assailants continued to assault the inmate, according to officials.

After the warning, the officer discharged another shot from the Mini 14 rifle.

One of the assailants, 27-year-old Jose E. Herrera  suffered a gunshot wound and was airlifted from KVSP and taken to an area hospital where he died.

The victim of the attack was taken to an area hospital to be treated for head trauma. There are no reports of injuries to staff.

 “The use of deadly force is always a last resort,” said CDCR spokesperson Dana Simas. “The loss of any life is unfortunate and, as is the case for all in-custody deaths, this death will be thoroughly investigated.”

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) sent a Deadly Force Investigations Team (DFIT) to KVSP to investigate the incident. DFIT is a team of trained CDCR investigators that conducts criminal and administrative investigations into every use of deadly force. A deadly force review board will conduct a full and complete review of the incident as well.

Pursuant to state law, deadly force can only be used when it is reasonably necessary to defend someone from an immediate threat of death or great bodily injury.

The Office of the Inspector General’s Bureau of Independent Review was also notified and will provide real-time oversight of CDCR’s investigation of its staff.

KVSP opened in 2005 and houses 3,782 inmates of all security levels. KVSP offers academic classes and vocational programs and employs approximately 1,800 people.

The prison is located about 2 miles southwest from North Kern State Prison. On Monday, a correctional officer was shot in the chest.

Read Related Stories:

• Delano community reacts to North Kern State Prison shooting
• Investigation continues in North Kern State Prison correctional officer shooting
• Correctional officer shot at North Kern State Prison