2 Arizona prison inmates killed in gang-related attacks in under a week

PHOENIX – A West Valley inmate died Tuesday after the second recent fatal gang-related attack in an Arizona prison, authorities said.

Jacob Major, 43, died at a Goodyear hospital after an attack at Buckeye’s Arizona State Prison Complex (ASPC)-Lewis, according to the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry (ADCRR).

Major had been in ADCRR custody since 2013. He was serving time for vehicle theft, burglary, trafficking in stolen property, weapons misconduct and forgery.

Major’s death came five days after Leron Indian died at a hospital following an attack at ASPC-Yuma. One of Indian’s attackers was hospitalized with unspecified injuries that aren’t considered life-threatening.

Indian, 50, had been in ADCRR custody since 2024 after a burglary conviction.

Arizona corrections department says inmate deaths aren’t related

In both cases, several gang members attacked the victims after disputes. The investigations are ongoing, but ADCRR said the incidents aren’t related.

The state prison agency also issued the following information in response to the fatal attacks:

Any act of violence in Arizona’s prisons is unacceptable and cause for concern. However, ADCRR is confident that these targeted, gang-related incidents do not represent a threat to the wider inmate population or ADCRR staff, nor are they reflective of the broader safety conditions inside Arizona’s prisons. ADCRR continues to prioritize the safety and well-being of its staff with onsite employee support resources available 24/7 at every prison complex.

Specialized ADCRR staff, including the Department’s Security Threat Group (STG) and Intelligence Units work around-the-clock in partnership with other law enforcement agencies to investigate and deter gang activity inside Arizona’s prisons and related gang activity in Arizona’s communities at large.

While it is impossible to prevent every instance of violence, ADCRR and its law enforcement partners want to assure the public that we are dedicating every available resource, tactic and tool to investigate these recent gang-related deaths, ensure strong accountability of those involved, and to prevent further gang-related violence in Arizona’s prison system.

In April, an Arizona Senate committee launched an investigation into ADCRR after a violent Tucson prisoner allegedly killed three other inmates.

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