INDIAN SPRINGS (KTNV) — A homicide investigation is underway at High Desert State Prison after an inmate was stabbed to death. The incident now raises alarming questions about the unit’s readiness to deal with the state’s most violent criminals.

“I don’t know what the motive was, but they both went to town on each other with what I’m told are 10-inch shards made by the jail,” said Paul Lunkwitz, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Nevada CO Lodge . 21.

Lunkwitz, president of Nevada’s largest corrections officers union, spoke about the fatal incident involving two former cellmates.

Authorities with the Nevada Department of Corrections confirmed with Channel 13 that the inmates were recently transferred to High Desert State Prison from Ely State Prison, a maximum security facility in Nevada.

“This is just another incident in the cycle that’s happening right now at the High Desert,” Lunkwitz said.

Lunkitz said the cycle began this summer after one of Nevada’s largest prisoner transfers to date.

In a statement, NDOC officials said the two men had a history together.

Despite this long incident-free period between the two, Lunkwitz believes their transfer to the High Desert under controversial circumstances may have contributed to what happened.

“It’s not an everyday occurrence for the most part, but it’s becoming more common in the High Desert, that’s for sure. Our boys and girls on the front lines are subjected to completely dehumanizing treatment, and much of it is largely preventable,” Lunkwitz said.

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Correctional officers began raising concerns months ago that HDSP lacked the infrastructure, staff and training to handle an influx of inmates with violent histories. Despite their warnings, NDOC initiated the prisoner exchange in July, arguing that it was necessary to dry up overcrowding and redistribute resources.

“It’s not rocket science when we told them we weren’t ready. The officers are not prepared. The facility is not ready,” Lunkwitz said.

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Lunkwitz wonders what else could happen with the jail’s limited resources already stretched dangerously far and leaving officers unable to adequately monitor volatile inmates.

“We have officers every day being pelted with urine, faeces, broken windows, fires being set, the supervisor telling me it’s one incident after another. You’re going to have bad things happen, and that’s what we’re seeing,” Lunkwitz said.