2 people dead, 6 wounded in stabbing attacks on Las Vegas Strip
Las Vegas NV October 7 2022Â Two people died and six others were wounded in a stabbing rampage Thursday in front of the Wynn Casino on the famed Las Vegas Strip in what police are calling an unprovoked attack.
Police began receiving reports of a “series of stabbings” on Las Vegas Boulevard about 11:40 a.m., Las Vegas Police Capt. Dori Koren said at a news conference.
Police quickly took a suspect into custody and began providing medical aid to victims, Koren said.
Two of the eight victims died. They were identified by the medical examiner’s office Thursday as Brent Allan Hallett, 47, and Maris Mareen Digiovanni, 30, both of Las Vegas, a Clark County spokesman said.
Three of the surviving victims were in critical condition, Koren said. Officials described the victims as a mix of tourists and locals.
“The weapon we recovered was a large kitchen knife,” Koren said.
The suspect, Yoni Barrios, 32, was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on two counts of open murder with a deadly weapon and six counts of attempted murder with a deadly weapon, police said early Friday.
Police said Friday that Barrios acted alone and that the incident was isolated.
It was too early in the investigation to determine a motive, Koren said earlier Thursday, but officials believe the incident was unprovoked.
“The initial altercation or the initial stabbing occurs on the sidewalk area, appears unprovoked — there is no altercation beforehand,” Deputy Police Chief James LaRochelle told reporters.
The suspect then walked south from the initial attack and proceeded to stab more people, which was seen by “scores of witnesses,” LaRochelle said. A concerned bystander alerted a security guard at the Sands Hotel and Casino, who called police.
“We want to extend our heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and to the victims themselves. … We’re thinking of them and have them their thoughts,” LaRochelle said.
