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 weren'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 two.
Filed lawsuit for large amount of damages in Nevada state court.