Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : Inmate Shot by Guard in Stable Condition

An inmate at the state prison here remained hospitalized Thursday in stable condition recovering from a gunshot wound to his shoulder, a prison spokesman said.

Sergio Ayala, a maximum-security inmate, was shot by a guard Wednesday after an undetermined number of inmates began fighting with “manufactured weapons” and refused orders to stop, said spokesman Kenn I. Hicks. Ayala, 21, was serving a life sentence for first-degree murder and robbery.

Two other inmates suffered superficial wounds in the fight and were treated by prison medical staff. One, identified as Kevin Broussard Barrs, 27, was convicted on five counts of robbery. The name of the other inmate injured in the altercation was withheld, pending family notification.

Wednesday’s incident is the third shooting of an inmate by a guard in the past month and the fourth since the state prison opened 13 months ago.

As with all such incidents at the prison, Hicks said an investigation will be conducted to determine the facts surrounding the shooting. Staff and inmates will be interviewed to determine what precipitated it.

Although few details of the shooting were available, Hicks said a control-booth officer fired a single round from a 9-millimeter rifle, hitting Ayala in the left shoulder.

Officials with the state Department of Corrections said guards are permitted to shoot inmates to disable them “when absolutely necessary.”