An inmate at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning has died after being stabbed by a fellow inmate, authorities said.
On Sept. 5 at 1:30 p.m., officers responded to a report of an assault with a deadly weapon at the facility and found the victim suffering from a stab wound, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
Officers provided medical aid until paramedics transported the victim to a hospital. Steve Gonzalez, 36, of Moreno Valley, succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead on Sept. 7. Officials said the victim’s family had been notified and were able to be at his bedside while he was treated at the hospital.
The sheriff’s Corrections Central Investigations unit, in conjunction with the homicide unit, identified 55-year-old Scott Lowder as the suspect in the alleged killing of Gonzalez. However, no further details about the altercation were provided.
Lowder was being held on charges of criminal threats and brandishing a firearm. He remains in custody pending a murder charge, officials said.
Anyone with information regarding the death is asked to contact Investigator R. Navarrete of the Central Homicide Unit at 951-955-2777.
The death is the latest in the county’s jails. Department records filed with the California Department of Justice show there were 19 deaths in 2022 and 14 in 2023. Three deaths were reported in June 2024. About a dozen lawsuits have been filed on behalf of inmates who died in 2022 and 2023.
City News Service contributed to this report.
Ema Sasic writes about entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at ema.sasic@desertsun.com or on Twitter @ema_sasic.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Inmate killed at Smith Correctional Facility in Banning
