WHITE PINE COUNTY, Nev. – Prison officials in Nevada have confirmed that three inmates were killed and nine others injured during a massive brawl inside a maximum-security facility, according to reports.
The killings occurred at Ely State Prison in a rural, eastern part of Nevada on Tuesday afternoon, prompting a lockdown, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
Nevada Department of Corrections said no correctional officers were hurt during the melee. The agency did not release the names of the inmates who died or the conditions of those injured.
The brawl was gang-related, according to Gov. Joe Lombardo’s office, Fox5 Vegas reported.
Ely State Prison is described by the Nevada DOC as the “designated maximum-security prison” for the state with a capacity of 1,183 inmates. The facility has a staff of about 406 personnel, according to the DOC website.
Prison officials will issue a press release “informing the public of the general circumstances surrounding any in-custody offender death” after “every effort is made to notify the next of kin as soon as possible,” per DOC policy.
