UPDATE: 10:00 p.m.
Arizona Department of Corrections Rehabilitation and Reentry identified the victims of the Friday morning "altercation" that left three inmates dead.
Friday evening, officials confirmed the deaths of Saul Alvarez, Donald Lashley and Thorne Harnage. They identified the sole suspect as Ricky Wassenaar and said they believe he intended to harm the three men.
Wassenaar is serving 16 life sentences for his role in a 2004 prison hostage standoff at the ADCRR Lewis complex. For 15 days, Wassenaar and another inmate held an officer hostage in a guard tower.
KGUN 9 spoke with several families of inmates— many asked to stay anonymous due to fear of retaliation against their loved one inside the prison— who received emails saying their weekend visits were canceled due to a lockdown in the Cimarron unit.
ORIGINAL STORY:
Three inmates were killed during an "altercation" this morning at the Arizona State Prison Complex Tucson, 10000 S. Wilmot Road.
According to a news release from the Arizona Department of Corrections Rehabilitation and Reentry, there is no continued ongoing threat.
KGUN 9 NEWS AT 6 LIVE REPORT:
The ADCRR's Office of the Inspector General has begun an initial criminal investigation related to the inmates' deaths, the news release said.
They are being investigated in consultation with the county medical examiner's office, the news release said.
Visitation at the ASPC has been canceled for today.
According to the Department of Corrections website, there were 109 deaths in the Arizona State Prison system in the last fiscal year. So far in the 2025 fiscal year, there have been 96 deaths as of February, resulting from a variety of causes including natural causes, homicide and self-harm:
The table below is from the Arizona Department of Corrections February 2025 data report. According to the document, cause of death figures are subject to change based on medical examiner reports.
