Bachelor party participants among 3 killed in shooting outside Reno casino
By Chris Boyette, CNN
(CNN) — Two men in town for a bachelor party and a local man driving through a parking lot were killed in Monday morning’s shooting outside a resort and casino in Reno, Nevada, police said.
A suspect, 26-year-old Reno resident Dakota Hawver, was shot by Reno police officers outside Grand Sierra Resort on Monday morning and sent to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, police in the neighboring city of Sparks said Thursday.
Investigators allege Hawver first shot five people in the resort’s valet area shortly before 7:30 a.m., killing two of them – Justin Aguila and Andrew Canepa, both 33-year-old Southern California residents – Sparks police said. Aguila and Canepa, in town with friends for a bachelor party, were shot from behind while waiting for a ride to an airport, police said.
The sixth person shot and third person killed, 66-year-old Reno resident Angel Martinez, was driving his car through the resort’s parking lot when he was shot several times, police said.
Of the three injured survivors, one was treated and released Monday, and the other two were in a hospital Tuesday but are expected to make a full recovery, Sparks police said.
Investigators have not identified a motive in the shooting, according to police. A multifaith candlelight vigil honoring the victims will be held Wednesday evening at the Unity Center of Reno, according to the organization’s website.
Aguila and Canepa were part of a 13-person group that was heading home after a bachelor party weekend, according to CNN affiliate KRNV, which spoke with the family of a group member who was shot but is expected to recover. Four of those shot in the valet area were members of the bachelor party, KRNV reported.
“They’re a unique group of guys that have been together since birth,” Scott Juceam, the uncle of shooting survivor Matt Sitler, said Thursday. “They went to first grade together. So this is a heavy toll on all the families.”
Canepa was a co-owner of Side Street Cafe in Newbury Park, California, according to Jeff Gorell, a member of the board of supervisors in California’s Ventura County.
“Andrew was a kind soul, a dedicated business owner, and a loving father to his young son,” Gorell said in a social media post. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and the Side Street Cafe community during this incredibly difficult time. We will miss seeing his warm presence at the restaurant and are deeply saddened by this loss.”
Canepa was a “devoted dad” to his 6-year-old son and “lit up every room he walked into,” according to a GoFundMe page set up to help the family.
Martinez was one of 11 siblings, according to a GoFundMe page created by his niece.
“He (Martinez) had a lifelong love of cooking, just like many of his brothers, and spent more than three decades working in restaurants and casinos throughout Reno,” a description on the fundraising page reads. “His greatest joy was being a father and grandfather.”
Valet driver who saved survivor’s life hailed as hero
The family of survivor Matthew Sitler praised valet driver Kade Macedo for saving Sitler’s life during the mass shooting.
Sitler had already been shot multiple times from his chest to his back when he ran past Macedo’s car.
“Kade shouted ‘Come this way. Come this way,’” Sitler’s uncle, Juceam, said at a news conference Thursday.
Macedo acted quickly, shielding Sitler with his car, Juceam said.
Macedo initially believed that Sitler had died, only to learn through news reports he actually survived the tragic shooting.
“This man saved Matt’s life by being courageous when shots were still being fired, jumps out of his vehicle, grabs Matt and Matt collapsed and fell backwards, unconscious,” Juceam said.
“It was more just an instinct,” Macedo said about his actions. “And I would do it again.”
Sitler is still in critical condition and recovering at a local hospital, the family said. Macedo visited Sitler in the hospital and the pair immediately bonded, becoming “brothers for life,” they added.
“It was the best feeling…I get to see his face, not how I seen it last,” Macedo said. “I’m glad I’m not the last person he gets to talk to, because he doesn’t deserve that. I’m glad he’s with his family.”
“I love you for saving my nephew, the most important person in our life,” Juceam told Macedo. “You saved him by just being you.”
No known connection between suspect and victims, police say
The suspect was seen pacing the parking lot of the resort – located less than 3 miles east of downtown Reno – for about 45 minutes before the shooting, a law enforcement official briefed on the incident told CNN.
At some point, the gunman walked into the resort’s valet area and began shooting, striking five, before fleeing through the parking lot and shooting Martinez, Sparks Police Chief Chris Crawforth said.
Police officers found the suspect in the parking lot, and he began firing at them, police said. Reno police officers then shot the suspect, Crawforth said, without specifying how many officers shot him.
Because Reno officers shot Hawver, Sparks police will take a lead role in the investigation of the whole incident, Reno Police Chief Kathryn Nance said Monday. The six Reno police officers involved in the shooting were placed on administrative leave, which is standard policy, Reno police spokesperson Chris Johnson told CNN Tuesday.
Investigators have not found any connection between the suspect and the victims, Sparks police said.
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CNN’s Elizabeth Wolfe, John Miller, Sara Smart and Amanda Musa contributed to this report
