An hours-long prison brawl in South Carolina has left seven inmates dead, reports WRDW. Another 17 inmates were injured at Lee Correctional Facility in Bishopville. No details yet on what set off the fight, only that "multiple inmate on inmate altercations" broke out in three housing units about 7:15pm Sunday, per a tweet from the state Department of Corrections. Guards, none of whom were injured, didn't fully secure the prison until close to 3am.
Lee is a maximum-security prison that houses 1,600 inmates, including some of the state's most violent offenders, reports the State. The facility has seen multiple insurrections previously, including less than a month ago when three inmates took an officer hostage briefly and assumed control of part of a dorm, per the newspaper. (More prison riot stories.)