Tensions are always running high in prison but throw in COVID-19 and things can get much more intense.

My best friend that I grew up and have been life long friends with told me recently that he is sure glad that he retired before the coronavirus hit the corrections system.

He has told me a lot of stories over the years about some inmates getting wild, fighting and even murdering one another.

My friend told me, adding these virus conditions to the equation with people who are already paranoid to start with from just trying to survive prison would be a whole new worry for corrections officers.

The Ionia prison experienced a couple different inmate fights that broke out in the two separate yards on Sunday that might have been gang related. There were multiple prisoners involved in both altercations.

One prisoner wound up getting shot by a prison guard who was stationed in a tower. The prisoner was warned several times by guards to stop and in order to stop more injuries to another person, the guard had to shoot the unruly prisoner in the arm to get him to stop. The prisoner was hospitalized.

The prison had planned on testing prisoners on Monday for COVID-19 but now because of the fight incidents the testing has been postponed.

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