Fifth inmate killed in more violence in Mississippi prisons

A fifth inmate has died violently in a Mississippi prison, raising further questions about security as clashes between prisoners continue.

Sunflower County Coroner Heather Burton told local news outlets that 36-year-old Dennoris Howell was stabbed to death before dawn Friday at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman.

Howell is the fifth inmate to be killed by another inmate since Sunday, and the third at Parchman.

Burton and Sunflower County Sheriff James Haywood have described the violence as related to a dispute between members of gangs, but officials with the Mississippi Department of Corrections haven't said what's driving the violence.

All state prisons statewide are locked down, confining inmates to cells and blocking visitors.

Another inmate was stabbed in the 3 a.m. Friday incident and taken to a Memphis, Tennessee, hospital. He was not identified.

The stabbing took place on the same unit at Parchman where a 32-year-old inmate was stabbed and killed Thursday in a fracas that left multiple prisoners injured.

That incident brought a heavy police response, with state troopers, corrections officers and deputies from multiple counties responding. Inmates set another unit at Parchman on fire.

Mississippi Department of Corrections spokeswoman Grace Simmons Fisher said the fire caused no structural damage. Inmates were evacuated and later moved back in, Fisher said.

Howell was convicted of manslaughter in Marshall County in 2012 and sentenced to 17 years in prison.

The troubles began Sunday at South Mississippi Correctional Institution near Leakesville, when inmate Terradance Dobbins, 40, was killed and two others hurt. Prison officials said the killing was part of a "major disturbance."