DELANO – California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation officials are investigating an attack on a peace officer at Kern Valley State Prison (KVSP) as an attempted homicide.
On Aug. 6, 2026, at approximately 7:30 a.m., incarcerated person Derrick S. Smith was seen in possession of an improvised weapon. After ignoring multiple orders from custody staff to get down, Smith allegedly ran towards custody staff with the weapon without any warning or provocation. Smith struck an officer in the protective vest with the weapon before pushing the custody staff member to the ground.
Despite being sprayed by pepper spray, Smith was able to break free and run into another section of the prison where he attacked an incarcerated person. Custody staff fired one 40 mm Exact Impact Round to subdue Smith.
Two custody officers sustained injuries and were transported to outside medical facilities, treated and released the same day.
The incarcerated person injured in the attack was also transported to an outside medical facility and later released.
Smith was treated at KVSP and then placed in restricted housing pending an investigation. KVSP officials are currently investigating the incident and attempted homicide charges are expected to be referred to the Kern County District Attorney’s Office.
Peer support and other services are being offered to employees. Smith, 59, was received from Riverside County on May 16, 1989. He was sentenced to life without parole for first-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder with an enhancement for use of a firearm, robbery of an inhabited dwelling, first-degree murder-conspiracy, and escape from county jail/prison with force. He was also sentenced by Kings County on Sept.10, 2025, to one year for attempted possession/manufacture of a deadly weapon, an in-prison offense.
Derrick S. Smith
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CONTACT: CDCR PRESS OFFICE OPEC@CDCR.CA.GOV
