Inmate killed in alleged stabbing at California State Prison-Sacramento

Mario Ortega, a 47-year-old inmate serving a life sentence, was killed during an alleged attack by a fellow inmate at California State Prison-Sacramento on Tuesday morning.

The California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation reported that the incident occurred just before 11 a.m. while correctional officials were escorting both inmates in a golf cart. Although both men were in hand restraints, 29-year-old Shunki E. Fleming allegedly manipulated his way out of his restraints and attacked Ortega with an improvised weapon.

Guards intervened, but Ortega was pronounced dead upon arrival at a hospital. Fleming has been secured in a restricted housing unit. Ortega had been incarcerated since 1999 for kidnapping, carjacking, and forcible sodomy, while Fleming was serving a 42-year sentence for robbery and assault. The prison system is currently investigating the incident.