CALIPATRIA — California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation officials are investigating the Nov. 10, 2025, death of an incarcerated person at Calipatria State Prison (CAL) as a homicide.

On Monday, Nov. 10, 2025, at approximately 10:20 a.m., staff responded to incarcerated persons Eric Gonzalez and Javier A. Torres attacking incarcerated person Alex Mercado on an exercise yard. Staff immediately responded, utilizing chemical agents to quell the attack. Officers immediately restrained Gonzalez and Torres and removed them from the yard, initiated life-saving measures on Mercado, and activated 911. Mercado was transported to an outside medical facility, where he was pronounced deceased by the Imperial County Coroner at 11:46 a.m., the CDCR said in a statement.

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