Three inmates have tragically lost their lives, and nine others have sustained injuries following a gang-related brawl at Ely State Prison, Nevada's sole maximum-security facility. The distressing incident unfolded in a rural area of the state on a Tuesday afternoon, leading to a lockdown within the prison premises.
Nevada's Department of Corrections has characterized the violent episode as an 'altercation,' clarifying that no prison officers were harmed during the altercation. The department has refrained from disclosing the identities of the deceased inmates or the current conditions of the injured individuals.
Reports from Governor Joe Lombardo's office have confirmed that the brawl was linked to gang affiliations, shedding light on the underlying tensions within the prison environment.
Ely State Prison, designated as Nevada's primary maximum-security penitentiary, has a capacity to house up to 1,183 inmates and employs approximately 400 staff members to oversee operations.
This unfortunate incident follows the deaths of two other inmates, aged 38 and 49, earlier this year at Ely State Prison. In addition, in December 2022, a group of inmates at the facility staged a hunger strike to protest what advocates and concerned family members described as unsafe living conditions and inadequate food provisions.
