Shot dead : Carlos Manuel Perez Jr , 28 , was killed by shotgun blasts from a Nevada corrections officer trying to break up a fight he was in . Nevada prison guards allegedly staged a 'gladiator-like ' man-on-man fight between handcuffed inmates in the corridors of a maximum-security prison , then broke it up by opening fire with a shotgun . Carlos Manuel Perez Jr , 28 , was allegedly pitted against Andrew Jay Arevalo , 24 , inside High Desert State Prison in Indian Springs on November 12 of last year . After the two were left to duke it out , a lawsuit filed in state court claims , a trainee corrections officer waded in and fired off his shotgun four times in a row . The blasts killed Perez and left Arevalo with wounds to his face , according to the suit , which is seeking damages for a slew of allegations , including wrongful death and excessive force . An attorney for the Perez family said the guards knew that if they let the two prisoners - who were supposed to be kept apart - encounter one another in the halls a fight would be inevitable . Cal Potter said : 'Officers know they will see a fight if they release ad seg [ administrative segregation ] inmates that are supposed to be in walk-alone status . ' Perez , a two-time felon , was serving a four-year sentence for hitting a man with a two-by-four , while Arevalo was serving six years for burglary . Arevalo survived the shots , despite wounds to his face . His attorney plans to file a suit soon . The suit , filed in Clark County District Court , said : 'Defendants ... refused to intervene . On the contrary ( they ) created a gladiator-like scenario and allowed the inmates to fight . ' The lawsuit names two corrections officers and the trainee shooter by last name only . It also names as plaintiffs the state of Nevada , prisons chief Greg Cox and the warden , assistant warden and a lieutenant at High Desert State Prison . The suit alleges wrongful death ; excessive force ; deliberate indifference to Perez 's medical needs ; negligent training and supervision ; and intentional infliction of emotional distress . It seeks unspecified damages , of at least $ 30,000 . 'Gladiator fights ' : Pictured is High Desert State Prison in Indian Springs , Nevada , where the shooting took place . Clark County 's coroner ruled Perez 's death a homicide , with a March 3 finding that he died of gunshot wounds to the head , neck , chest and arms . Potter represents Perez 's brother , Victor Perez , and mother , Myra Perez , both of Reno , and two children , ages 3 and 2 . The lawyer said Perez 's family was given conflicting statements during initial meetings with prison administrators after his death , and were n't told Perez had been shot . He said : 'They were devastated three days later when they went to the mortuary and learned that Carlos had ... multiple gunshot wounds to his face and upper body ' . Deputy prisons chief Brian Connett has defended the state Department of Corrections as a responsible steward of the safety and security of guards and inmates . He said in a March 27 interview the shooting came in response to two inmates fighting at the 3,500-strong prison . He said the three corrections officers who were involved would remain on paid leave pending action by the attorney general . A statement from the prison 's public information office said an investigation of the incident was in the hands of the state attorney general 's office . 'The Nevada Department of Corrections does not comment on pending or ongoing litigation , ' it said . Attorney General Adam Laxalt 's spokeswoman , Patty Cafferata , said the attorney general was reviewing the report , received March 25 . Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval has said local , county and state authorities investigated the shooting , and that Laxalt will determine an appropriate course of action . His office refused further comment .
Carlos Manuel Perez , 28 , allegedly made to fight Andrew Jay Arevalo , 24 . Fight happened at High Desert State Prison in Indian Springs in November . Perez was shot dead by corrections officer ; Arevalo survived with wounds . Attorney has claimed officers staged the fight between the 2 . Filed lawsuit for large amount of damages in Nevada state court .