A child was shot and killed by his father in what authorities say was a suicide at an airport in Nevada.
On Monday, April 13, the Elko Police Department announced on Facebook that the Elko Regional Airport was closed due to a crime scene investigation.
In a recent briefing on Tuesday, April 14, police said in another news report that officers were called to an “active shooter” at the airport that afternoon, when they found a man dead near the flight ticket counter.
Many people inside the airport directed police to the nearby restrooms, which is where they found the boy who had been shot multiple times, according to police.
First responders tried to save the boy, who was taken to a nearby hospital where he died, police said.
A man found dead in a ticket shop has been identified by police as the child’s father. Giovanni Perezwho died by suicide, according to authorities. The boy was identified as Callan Perez.
Callan was 11 years old, according to KUTV.
“The investigation into this tragic incident is still ongoing,” said the police. “The Elko Police Department would like to extend our condolences to the family of Callan Perez. No family should have to lose like this.”
The investigation revealed that before the death of Giovanni and Perez, they were traveling together in a rented car, according to the police.
At one point, the car was “disabled outside” in Winnemucca and they were “towed to Elko to find another rental car,” police said.
At the Elko Regional Airport, Giovanni and Callan went into the cabin “and left,” according to police.
“They then entered the cabin a second time together, where Giovanni shot Callan for an unknown reason,” police said in a statement.
Giovanni later died, according to police.
This incident led the bomb squad to respond to the airport to ensure that there were no explosives in the car Giovanni was renting, said the police.
All flights to and from the airport were canceled on April 13, Elko Regional Airport said in a Facebook post.
Airport services were expected to reopen at noon on April 14, the airport said on Facebook.
A possible motive for the killing of Callan was not clarified by the police.
Elko Regional Airport, located in northeastern Nevada, is 230 miles west of Salt Lake City, Utah.
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