LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — An inmate killed in a prison fight Tuesday was a white supremacist who was involved in a prior prison riot in a separate facility, the 8 News Now Investigators confirmed Wednesday.
Three inmates died, and nine were injured, in the fight at the Ely State Prison on Tuesday morning, the Nevada Department of Corrections confirmed. On Wednesday, the White Pine County Sheriff’s Office identified two of the three deceased inmates as Connor Brown, 22; and Zackaria Luz, 43.
Luz was involved in a December 2021 prison riot at the Southern Desert Correctional Center on Dec. 8, 2021. In that incident, the 8 News Now Investigators learned inmates unlocked their cells from the inside, refused orders, covered surveillance cameras, flooded the area with water and took control of an entire prison unit.
At that time, Luz was in the medium-security prison on drug charges, according to NDOC records. He later pleaded no contest to his involvement in the riot. The criminal complaint states that he “emptied a unit trashcan and filled that trashcan with water for the purpose of using the water to resist the actions of correctional staff in the unit and further the disturbance, and failed to follow direct order(s) from SDCC staff to return to his cell in Unit 5.”
In 2023, Luz took an Alford plea — meaning he did not admit guilt but admitted prosecutors had enough evidence to sway a jury to convict him — on racketeering and forgery charges, documents said. Luz was one of 23 Aryan Warriors, members of a white supremacist gang, charged as part of one investigation.
At the time of his arrest, prosecutors identified Luz as a leader within the Aryan Warriors organization, documents said. Clark County District Court Judge Michelle Leavitt sentenced Luz to seven to 18 years in prison.
Brown was in prison on a robbery charge, records said. A source told the 8 News Now Investigators that the third inmate was also an Aryan Warrior.
After Tuesday’s fight, corrections officers from other prisons along with additional law enforcement agencies responded to Ely. The 8 News Now Investigators have learned there are concerns about retaliation as this appeared to be a feud between two rival gangs.
The prison, which is several hours north of Las Vegas, is home to Nevada’s death row. The state has not put an inmate to death since 2006.
