In a tragic event near Las Vegas, Eric Adams, a man with a history of felony convictions, fatally shot five individuals and injured a 13-year-old girl at an apartment complex. Adams, who was legally prohibited from owning a firearm, later took his own life as North Las Vegas police officers approached him.
Court records reveal that Adams had been barred from firearm possession due to previous felony offenses, including battery, domestic battery, and battery on a police officer. His violent history dates back to at least 1994, with his most recent arrest occurring in February for suspected domestic battery by strangulation. This case was dismissed when the victim did not cooperate with authorities.
The shooting unfolded on Monday night when Adams visited his former girlfriend at her ground-floor apartment. An argument ensued, leading Adams to shoot and kill her 24-year-old daughter, Kayla Harris, and her daughter’s girlfriend. Adams then fatally shot a neighbor, a 20-year-old man, who had come to assist from his second-floor apartment.
Adams proceeded to the upstairs unit, where he killed the neighbor’s grandmother, Damiana Moreno, 59, and mother, Amy Damian, 40, while critically wounding the teen sister.
Adams then took his ex-girlfriend hostage and fled the scene in a vehicle. She managed to escape early Tuesday morning and alerted a police officer. Later that morning, police located Adams at a business in North Las Vegas. Upon arrival, officers saw Adams with a firearm, running into a nearby backyard. Despite orders to drop the weapon, Adams refused and ultimately died by suicide.
The Clark County coroner’s office confirmed Adams was 48 years old, correcting earlier police reports that listed him as 47. The office identified three of the victims: Kayla Harris, Damiana Moreno, and Amy Damian. The identities of the other two victims remain undisclosed.
Kayla Harris was a college basketball player at Adams State University in Colorado, where she was pursuing a master’s degree in business administration. University President David Tandberg expressed deep sorrow over her untimely death, highlighting her achievements both academically and athletically. “It feels nearly impossible to understand and cope with losing a young woman so early in her promising life,” Tandberg said in a statement.
The police have not yet disclosed the type of firearm used or how Adams obtained it, given his felony status that prohibited gun possession under Nevada law. This tragic incident raises critical questions about the enforcement of gun control laws and the prevention of firearms access by individuals with violent criminal histories.
