Nevada prison fight lead to three inmates being killed and nine others injured

Three people have died and nine were injured Tuesday in a deadly fight at a remote Nevada prison.

The injured inmates were transported from Ely State Prison for medical treatment following the violent outbreak. No police officers or prison staff were injured, according to the Nevada Department of Corrections. The prison has been placed under lockdown.

Prisons spokeswoman Teri Vance told the Elko Daily Free Press the fighting “was not a riot.”

Two of the victims were identified as Connor Brown, 22, and Zackaria Luz, 43. Luz, who is part of a white supremacist group, was involved in a previous prison riot and was currently being held on forgery charges, according to KLAS. Brown was in charge on a robbery charge. The third victim hasn’t been publicly named but was also part of a white supremacist group.

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo’s office told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that “today’s incident is under investigation by local and statewide law enforcement agencies.” His office added that the brawl was gang-related.

Ely State Prison is Nevada’s only maximum-security prison, with a maximum capacity of 1,183 inmates, and employs about 400 staff members. It is also home to the state’s death row.

Earlier this year, two inmates died at Ely, bringing the total deaths at Nevada prisons to 21 this year. In July 2023, a 29-year-old man was stabbed at the state prison.

It was also the subject of a hunger strike in 2022 after inmates complained of food portions, conditions of confinement, property issues and disciplinary sanctions. The strike was voluntarily ended after 4 weeks. Prison officials promised to make a clarification on disciplinary action.

Ely, Nevada, is located about 250 miles north of Las Vegas.