A gang-related brawl broke out inside Nevada’s only maximum security prison, leaving three inmates dead and nine injured, according to reports.
The incident occurred Tuesday afternoon at Erie State Prison in rural eastern part of the state, prompting a lockdown, according to the Associated Press.
The Nevada Department of Corrections described the brawl as an “altercation” but said no officers were injured. It did not release the names of the inmates who died or the conditions of those injured.
Gov. Joe Lombard’s office told Fox 5 Vegas the fight was gang-related.
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A sign at the entrance to Erie State Prison near Erie, Nevada. Authorities say an “altercation” inside the prison on Tuesday, July 30, resulted in the deaths of several inmates and the removal of others for medical treatment. (AP/John Rocker)
According to the Nevada Department of Corrections, Erie State Prison is the state’s “designated maximum security prison” with a capacity of 1,183 inmates.
Currently, the facility employs approximately 400 staff.
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On the left are Antonio Talavera, 38, serving time for robbery with a deadly weapon and being a former felon in possession of a firearm, and Norman Belcher, 49, a man on death row who was convicted of murder. They were the last two inmates to die at Ely State Prison before Tuesday’s incident. (Nevada Department of Corrections)
Two inmates, ages 38 and 49, died at Ely State Prison in April and May of this year, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
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In December 2022, several inmates at the facility staged a hunger strike in protest of what advocates and family members said were unsafe conditions and inadequate food.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
