Donald R. Jones Jr., 29, who was serving a 20-year sentence, died of multiple stab wounds in the fight Sunday night, the state Medical Examiner's office confirmed. Jones was black.
Eight other inmates were sent to the hospital after the brawl. Six were sent back to the prison and two others remained hospitalized, said Jerry Massie, spokesman for the state Corrections Department. The reformatory remained locked down Tuesday.
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation was looking into the brawl. No criminal charges were immediately filed.
Massie said officials aren't sure why there has been an upswing in racial violence in recent months.
Dozens have been injured in several incidents and this is the second death. Adam Lippert, 32, was killed in March. He was a white inmate serving time on drug charges at the Cimarron Correctional Facility in Cushing and was stabbed in a battle between black and white inmates.
Massie said the brawl Sunday ended after a correctional officer in a guard tower fired a warning shot. The brawl took place in an exercise yards while inmates were out for their evening recreation time.
Lack of prison guards can contribute to violence. Fights can get out of hand when guards are not available to quickly intervene, officials say.
The reformatory has 978 inmates and has 103 correctional officers. Reformatory spokesman Matt Bellendir said the institution has funding for 132 officers, but hasn't been able to find qualified candidates to fill the 29 open positions.
He said state correctional facilities have a total of 1,950 officers, although there is funding for 2,100 positions and the facilities have demonstrated a need for a total of 2,500 officers.
Starting pay for correctional officers is $1,722 a month.
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