Some of the victims of a massive shooting in a reindeer casino on Monday were residents in southern California who attended a degree, according to friends.
Violence began just after 7:30 am, when the police say that the unidentified armed man walked through a parking lot from the north and emerged in the Valet area of the Grand Sierra resort. There, he met a group of friends visiting Thousand Oaks, they told the friends of the victims to Times.
According to the police, the gunman approached the group and tried to shoot, but the weapon did not work badly. The group began to disperse just when the man made the weapon work again and began to shoot.
Andrew Canepa was hit several times and died in the hospital, according to two friends who requested anonymity until the victims were officially identified. Canepa, the father of a young son, owned and server in the Sidestreet Cafe in Newbury Park, a popular breakfast and lunch restaurant.
Dylan McLean was shot in the shoulder and jumped to a nearby truck and asked the driver to take him to the hospital, his friends told the Times. During the trip, he called Matt Harper Sitler, his friend who had received four times and was hiding from the gun.
Sitler was hospitalized and included in a critical condition and placed himself in a life support on Monday. At night, he could breathe alone, they told The Times. His first words after the attack were: “Andrew is fine?”
Another friend in the group was instantly killed in the scene, but has not been officially identified.
The group attacked in El Casino had graduates of Thousand Oaks High 2010 and several had practiced high school sports.
The group had stayed in an Airbnb near Lake Tahoe before spending Sunday night in the casino. They woke up early Monday, left the hotel and were waiting at the Valet station for travel to take them to the airport when the shooter arrived.
In the midst of chaos at the Valet station, a safety guard of the casino replied and shot the gunman, sending the shooter fleeing, police said. When he escaped, he found a vehicle that moved through the parking lot and opened fire, killing the driver. Shortly after, the police arrived and hired the suspect in a shooting, wounding it critically.
“The tragedies like this are horrible so that any community lasts, not only for the victims, the first to respond and the people who were there, but for all those involved in our community,” said Reno police chief Kathryn Nance. “Violence is not acceptable, especially in our public spaces.”
Three people died in the incident and three were injured, along with the gunman. There was no connection between the gunman and his victims, police said Monday afternoon. The identity of the suspect has not yet been published.
“The suspect we have no known reason,” said Sparks Police Chief Chris Crawforth, at a press conference.
The Grand Sierra Resort is one of the largest casinos and hotels complexes. The 27 -story building has almost 2,000 rooms, as well as casinos, spas and restaurants. He was previously qualified as the MGM and then the Bally's Hotel and Resort. The business was open and operated on Tuesday.
The personnel Summer Lin writer contributed to this report.
