Tragedy struck at Ely State Prison in Nevada yesterday as a violent altercation amongst inmates turned deadly, resulting in three fatalities. In a statement released by the White Pine County Sheriff's Office and shared by News3LV, two of the deceased have been identified as Zackaria Luz, 43, and Connor Brown, 22. The fight that spurred these tragic events was reported to sheriff’s dispatch at approximately 9:41 a.m. yesterday. Details surrounding the cause of the conflict have yet to be disclosed as the investigation continues.
Following the incident, a total of nine inmates were required to directly receive medical treatment, with several subsequently needing to be airlifted to specialized facilities. The extent of their injuries and their current conditions have not been made public. Governor Lombardo's office has commented on the situation, confirming the incident as "gang-related," as per reports from FOX5 Vegas. As a result of the outbreak of violence, the Nevada Department of Corrections has halted visitation across all facilities until further notice.
Records show that Luz was serving a sentence between 7-14 years for various offenses, including attempted burglary and racketeering, while Brown was in the midst of a 7 to 10-year term for robbery with the use of a deadly weapon. The name of the third victim will be released following the notification of the family.
The aftermath of the incident has the prison reform community voicing their concerns. Jodi Hocking, founder of Return Strong Nevada, articulated the depth of the loss in an interview with FOX5: "Losing people at all is not easy," and continued to say, "Losing them under these circumstances is even more difficult." She emphasized the humanity of those lost by adding, "At the end of the day, they're human beings with families, with children, with parents, and everybody else. They're still going to grieve them."
