On Monday, June 24, a violent spree unfolded in Las Vegas, Nevada, resulting in five fatalities and a teenager critically injured, according to police reports. The perpetrator, identified as Eric Adams, 47, also took his ex-girlfriend hostage following the shootings at two residences in the Craig Ranch Villas complex shortly after 10 p.m.
Adams had a record of domestic violence, as confirmed by the North Las Vegas Police Department. His ex-girlfriend had filed a protection order against him in March, which was due to expire in July. Earlier in June, Adams had completed a domestic violence counseling program.
The events of the night started with a dispute between Adams and his ex-girlfriend in her ground-floor apartment. During this altercation, Adams opened fire, killing the ex-girlfriend’s 24-year-old daughter, Kayla Harris, and Harris’s 22-year-old friend, Jennette Faria-Webster. A neighbor, 20-year-old Christopher Damian, was also shot and killed by Adams when he came to investigate the noise.
Adams proceeded upstairs to Damian’s apartment, where he shot dead Damian’s 59-year-old grandmother, Damiana Moreno, and 40-year-old mother, Amy Damian. Damian’s 13-year-old sister was critically injured but survived. Two other teenagers present in the apartment were left uninjured. Following the shootings, Adams took his ex-girlfriend hostage and fled.
The ex-girlfriend managed to escape and informed a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officer during an unrelated traffic stop in the early hours of Tuesday, June 25. This led the North Las Vegas Police to the crime scene, where they first discovered the victims in the upstairs apartment and subsequently the three victims in the ground-floor apartment.
Adams had a history of threatening to kill a woman last year and multiple domestic violence convictions. He was arrested in February for domestic battery by strangulation, although the case was later dismissed. Adams was located at a business on Lake Mead Boulevard following a tip-off. Despite commands from the officers to drop his weapon, Adams took his own life.
Residents of the community are coping with the aftermath of the violent incident. The North Las Vegas Police Department, along with victim advocates and detectives, are providing assistance to the surviving victims and their families.
The family of the victims is grappling with profound grief. Amy Damian, one of the victims, had recently completed a respiratory therapist training program inspired by her mother’s fight with COVID-19. Her son Christopher was a student at UNLV, studying to become a physical therapist. The family held a candlelight vigil at the apartment complex to pay tribute to their loved ones.
The Police are treating the shooting as an “isolated incident” and the investigation is ongoing. They are urging anyone with information about the incident to get in touch with the North Las Vegas Police Department.
