Family confirms inmate who was critically hurt in Florence prison fight has died

Family: Man hurt in Florence prison fight has died

The family of an inmate who was wounded in a prison fight at a Florence facility over the weekend say the man did not survive his injuries. FOX 10's Nicole Krasean reports.

PHOENIX - We’re hearing from the family of an inmate who was critically injured in the prison fight at a Florence facility over the weekend, with the family saying that the man did not survive.

The backstory:

The fight happened on April 26 at the Eyman State Prison facility in Florence, and the incident left several inmates hospitalized.

The Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation & Reentry released a statement on the incident on April 27. It reads, in part:

An inmate-on-inmate altercation involving multiple inmates at the Rynning Unit resulted in several inmates being evaluated and treated by health care staff onsite at the prison and several additional inmates being transported offsite to the hospital for care of non-life-threatening injuries. 

ADCRR is confident that this targeted, gang-related incident does not represent a threat to the wider inmate population or ADCRR staff, nor is it 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.

ADCRR Director Ryan Thornell told members of the media on April 28 that he was pleased with the response from prison staff.

"Staffing had nothing to do with this incident," Thornell said at the time. "Staff response was very quick, and I think it was because of their response. I know it was because of their response that staff did not get injured, and we were able to resolve it."

Family Speaks Out:

Michell MacPherson describes her brother, Christopher "CJ" Wagner, as a man who was deeply loved by family.

"He was larger than life," said MacPherson. "Yes, he screwed up. He ended up in prison three different times. This was his last. But none of them were violent crimes."

MacPherson said on the night of April 26, she received a call from a warden with the Arizona State Prison System, telling her that Wagner had been part of a prison fight.

"He said the doctors are saying that CJ has unrecoverable injuries. Brain injuries," MacPherson said.

MacPherson was given a list of Wagner's injuries, which she says included fractured ribs, a collapsed lung and several facial fractures. She and and her husband, Frank, say Wagner was declared dead on the afternoon of April 28.

"The exact time of death, from the nurse, was 4:09 p.m. on Tuesday the 28th," said Frank. "Four days after his birthday."

Christopher "CJ" Wagner

The other side:

ADCRR is still not confirming Wagner's death. They said in a statement on April 30 that the incident is an "ongoing criminal investigation," and ADCRR is "limited in the information" they can provide.

The MacPhersons say they have a number of issues with what they call a lack of transparency from the ADCRR.

"It’s not just our family," MacPherson said. "There are other inmates that went, which tells me that everybody needs answers. You need to have better communications, but you need to be able to react quicker. You need to be staffed."

MacPherson said any incident in which a loved one ends up brain dead is not resolved.

"He’s not a number. He’s a person. He’s a human being," MacPherson said.