Woman loses both mother, brother in shooting

The relative of a mother and son murdered before an officer-involved shooting is speaking out for the first time.

"Loving, caring,” Jocling Kefale said of her mother Felecia Wimberly-Hughes. "She helped everybody. She was a nurse for 20 years."

 

Kefale remembered her mother’s big smile, that often came as a result of jokes from her brother Branden Hughes.

 

“My brother was a big joker. Anything he made you laugh all day everyday," Kefale said.

 

 

Wimberly-Hughes and her son Branden Hughes were killed Thursday near Iron Mountain Road and El Capitan Way.

 

Las Vegas police say they were shot and killed by James Simpson when they went to see if they could help Simpson’s mother during an argument.

 

"She died doing what she did the most, helping people," Kefale said.

 

Police say Branden Hughes was killed first.

 

His mother immediately went to his side, but police say the suspect grabbed her and killed her as well.

 

Kefale was asleep inside the family’s home a couple doors down when her mother and brother were shot.

 

"My brother's girlfriend woke me up and said 'I think Mama and Branden is hurt.'  I'm running out the door not knowing he is out there with a gun," Kefale said.

 

Kefale said she heard Simpson yelling at someone that wasn’t there before he turned his attention to her.

 

"He says I'm going to shoot you and starts chasing after me. So I started running," Kefale said.

 

Kefale said she made it inside and called police, but didn’t notice her mother lying outside the garage a couple doors down. Kefale added she didn’t hear most of the shots exchanged between Simpson and police, but finally spotted her mother once the shooting stopped.

 

"I seen her when they flipped her over and tried to resuscitate her," Kefale said.

 

But it was too late.

 

Kefale said it was several more hours before she found out her brother was also killed.

 

Now, less than a week later, Kefale is helping plan a memorial for both. She said goodbye to her brother Tuesday as they sent his body back to Michigan where he will be buried.

 

“We got to see him, because they are shipping his body back today, and we said goodbye and all we could remember was him laughing," Kefale said.

 

She says her mother’s death hasn’t fully sunk in at this point, but she says it is eerie being inside the home they shared.

 

"It is hard. I am ready to pack up and go. I don't want to be here, because it feels like she is up here and she is not."

 

The family is working to raise money for both memorials. They set up a GoFundMe account for Branden here. Felecia Wimberly-Hughes also has a memorial account set up at GoFundMe as well.