Adam Coppa was 32 when he was killed during a large riot at the Arizona State Prison Complex–Yuma in San Luis on March 1, 2018. The disturbance involved about 600 inmates and began after officers were perceived to have used excessive force on another prisoner. During the chaos—rocks thrown, fires set, widespread damage—correctional officers deployed crowd control measures and Coppa received a fatal gunshot wound; an autopsy confirmed death by gunshot.

Accounts differ about the shooting. The Arizona Department of Corrections reported officers fired on an advancing group of inmates, while a fellow inmate and friend of Coppa said he was shot in the back. An investigation into the riot and the use of lethal force was opened. Some officers were later fired and criminally charged over destruction of inmate property, but no publicly announced charges have been tied to Coppa’s shooting.

If anyone witnessed events inside the facility that night or has information about the shooting, please share what is known.