20 people charged after three inmates die in prison fight
By Jarah Wright
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CARSON CITY, Nevada (KTNV) — Over a dozen people are now facing charges after three inmates were killed in a prison brawl at Ely State Prison.
The incident happened on July 30, 2024.
According to the Nevada Department of Corrections original report, three inmates were killed and nine were injured during the fight.
The three inmates were later identified as Zackaria Luz, Connor Brown, and Anthony Williams. Luz was serving up to 18 years in prison for racketeering. Brown was serving up to 20 years in prison for robbery with a deadly weapon. Williams was serving life without the possibility of parole for habitual criminal and open murder.
On Tuesday, Ford’s office announced the final arrest related to the incident was made on Wednesday, March 5.
Twenty people have been charged with multiple counts for charges, including first degree murder and attempted murder.
“The pursuit of justice does not stop at the prison gates, and those responsible for the deaths of the three inmates at Ely State Prison will be held accountable,” Ford said in a statement. “We remain committed to ensuring that violence and misconduct within our state correctional system are met with the full force of the law.”
Over the last year, several families have contacted us stating they are concerned about their incarcerated loved ones and overall security in the Nevada prison sytem.
In September, the Nevada Department of Corrections announced a change in custody levels between Ely State Prison and High Desert State Prison, which is near Las Vegas.
High Desert State Prison is newer and has more space. Because of that, NDOC officials told Channel 13 they would redesignate High Desert State Prison as a maximum security prison and transition Ely State Prison into a medium security facility.
“The safety of our officers, staff and offenders is paramount to our mission as a Department,” Director James Dzurenda told us in September. “This move will allow us to increase our security within the institutions to better protect offenders [and] serve the communities that trust us to keep them safe.”
In November, following the prisoner swap, an inmate was stabbed to death at High Desert State Prison, which raised concerns about whether the facility was ready to handle the most violent criminals in Nevada.
At the time, NDOC officials sent Channel 13 a statement saying the two men had a history together and it wasn’t related to the move.
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