Utah Mom, 12-Year-Old Son Among 3 Dead in Nevada Shooting
A Nevada shooting took the lives of three people, including a Utah mom and her 12-year-old son.
Fox News reported that the suspect was killed after taking the boy hostage and putting his gun to the boy's head during a standoff with police on Tuesday.
According to Henderson police, cops responded to reports around 11 a.m. of gunshots and a person at the doorway in an apartment complex.
Officers then found the bodies of two women and an injured 16-year-old girl. All three victims had showing gunshot wounds.
Authorities identified the suspect as Jason Neo Bourne, 38.
Bourne was armed with a handgun. He then locked himself inside a nearby car with the 12-year-old victim.
"As officers attempted a de-escalation dialogue with the suspect, the suspect held his firearm to the juvenile's head, resulting in an officer-involved shooting," police said in a Fox News report.
Officers tried to save the boy's life. Officers involved removed the boy from the vehicle and immediately began life-saving measures.
However, he died at the scene with the suspect, according to authorities.
Meanwhile, no officers involved were injured.
According to police investigators, Bourne likely fired multiple rounds inside the vehicle and lived in the apartment above the victims.
Related story: Las Vegas Road Rage Shooting: 19-Year-Old Suspect Was Neighbor of Victim, Allegedly Bragged About Crime
The investigation is still on-going on the double murder case. It is not yet known if the killer knew his victims beyond being a neighbor to them.
The police did not immediately name the victims. However, a Utah church identified the two of them as the 39-year-old mother of three, Diana Hawatmeh, and her 12-year-old son, Joseph.
"Diana was a substitute teacher in our elementary and middle school and taught Zumba dance to members of our faculty," the church and school community wrote on a Facebook post.
The 16-year-old victim was Hawatmeh's daughter Yasmeen. She was rushed to a nearby hospital to treat her injuries.
The principal of Juan Diego Catholic High School said that she had undergone surgery and was in serious condition. The 33-year-old woman's identity has not been released.
Police said that Hawatmeh's husband and eldest son were not home when the shooting happened.
Meanwhile, a gaming historian and Associate Vice Provost at UNLV, David Schwartz, said that he thinks safety is of huge importance, and people are not going to come if they do not feel safe.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) has increased police force, shifting resources to add another 100 officers on the Strip at peak times.
Schwartz added that bringing people back to Vegas poses a threat, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and violence, as reported by Ktnv.
He added that the only way to convince people that it is safe to come back is by providing safe conditions.
Related story: Police Find Woman's Body Stuffed in Suitcase in Las Vegas
Recent data showed that the Las Vegas violent crime rate is at 40.9 percent, with the U.S. average at 22.7 percent.
The property crime rate, on the other hand, stands at 43.4 percent, with the U.S. average at 35.4 percent.
The LVMPD and major resort casinos on the Las Vegas area are working hard to fight violence in the area.