Whitney M. Woodworth

Statesman Journal

An eastern Oregon prison is on full lockdown and 47 inmates are in special housing following a fight in the recreation yard, during which a staff member fired a warning shot, officials said.

A fight broke out among several inmates in the yard at Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution at about 2:30 p.m. Thursday. According to Oregon Department of Corrections officials, inmates ignored verbal commands to stop fighting.

Prison staff pepper sprayed the involved inmates, but the fighting continued. A staff member fired one warning shot into a designated safe area.

"Upon the warning shot, the inmates stopped fighting," said prison officials.

No staff or inmate injuries were reported.

The prison remains on full lockdown, and visiting is cancelled until further notice.

Forty-seven inmates were placed in special housing for their roles in the fight. Prison officials are conducting an investigation in the cause of the altercation.

The institution, a medium-security prison in Pendleton, houses about 1,600 male inmates.

The Oregonian reported that in 2014, a corrections officer at the Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution witnessed a fight in the prison yard and fired one shot, hitting and killing a 26-year-old inmate.

Email wmwoodwort@statesmanjournal.com, call 503-399-6884 or follow on Twitter @wmwoodworth