Officer shoots incarcerated man who choked fellow inmate

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A correctional officer shot and killed an incarcerated man who was choking a fellow inmate at California State Prison, Sacramento, authorities said Tuesday.

Officers responding to an altercation Monday evening issued verbal orders and “then used chemical agents and less-lethal measures, which had no effect,” the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said in a statement.

“When the other man appeared to lose consciousness and go limp, an officer fired his Mini-14 rifle,” the statement said.

Mario Rushing, 46, was shot and taken to an outside hospital, where he died about an hour later, corrections officials said. The incarcerated man who had been choked received treatment at the prison.

No staff or other incarcerated people were injured. An inmate-manufactured weapon was recovered at the scene, officials said.

The officer who fired the gun was placed on administrative leave pending an investigation, consistent with state prison policy. The officer’s name was withheld.

Rushing was sentenced in 1996 to life without the possibility of parole for first-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter and arson, officials said.

California State Prison, Sacramento is a high-security facility that houses 1,940 inmates, including many serving long-term sentences.