NORTH LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Monday night's deadly shooting at Craig Ranch Villas is raising concerns about domestic violence cases.
On Thursday, North Las Vegas Police released new information about the shooting which left five people dead.
The incident began as a domestic dispute.
Police said the gunman, 47-year-old Eric Adams, took his ex-girlfriend hostage and left the crime scene.
Channel 13 looked into the problem of domestic violence in the Las Vegas valley.
We found although the number of incidents is trending down this year so far, from 2021 to 2023 the number of cases went up nearly 20% in North Las Vegas, according to police.
"Domestic violence situations can be very unpredictable," said Beth Flury, the executive director of Safe House.
It's a comprehensive center based in Henderson for domestic violence and sexual assault victims. Flury said they serve the entire Las Vegas valley.
"Domestic violence is a huge problem in the Las Vegas valley, including in the state of Nevada," Flury said.
She said the Silver State consistently ranks in the top five states for domestic violence homicides.
According to a report from the Nevada Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence, there were 72 domestic violence homicides in 2023, and 56 of those were in Clark County.
On Wednesday night, family and friends of the victims of Monday night's shooting gathered for a candlelight vigil and balloon release.
"It hurts so much," said Sal Munoz; who lost his ex-wife Anna, daughter Amy and grandson Christopher in the shooting. "I'm lonely now. Half of my family is gone."
Munoz' 13-year-old granddaughter Olivia is still fighting for her life in the hospital.
Channel 13 found out Adams was a convicted felon who was arrested more than 20 times over the years for domestic violence and battery. Court records indicate he even completed a domestic violence counseling course earlier this month.
Flury said Monday night's shooting is a reminder more needs to be done to prevent lives lost.
"Domestic violence can impact more than the victim," Flury said. "It can impact family members, friends and in this case even neighbors."
She said one important aspect of protecting yourself when you're a victim of domestic violence is safety planning. This includes informing your neighbors you are in a domestic violence situation and possibly providing a picture to the abuser so those around the victim can call police.
Safe House offers a 24 hour hotline for domestic violence and sexual assault victims: 702-564-3227.
The national hotline number is: 800-799-7233.
