In a tragic turn of events on Monday, April 13, 2026, 11-year-old Callan Perez, a male, was shot and killed by his father at the Elko Regional Airport in Nevada. The incident, which has been ruled a murder-suicide, has left the small community of Elko in a state of shock and grief.
Callan and his 37-year-old father, Giovanni Perez, were traveling together when their rental car broke down near Winnemucca, Nevada.
They were towed to the Elko Regional Airport to arrange for a replacement vehicle. It was within the quiet confines of the airport that the devastating events unfolded. For reasons that may never be fully understood, Giovanni Perez shot his son multiple times inside a restroom before taking his own life near the airline ticket counter.
First responders arrived at the scene to find Callan critically wounded. He was immediately transported to Northeastern Nevada Regional Hospital, but tragically, he succumbed to his injuries. Giovanni Perez was pronounced dead at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The investigation into this horrific incident is ongoing, with law enforcement officials piecing together the circumstances that led to the murder-suicide. It has been revealed that Giovanni Perez was involved in a custody dispute with Callan's maternal grandparents and had been attempting to keep the boy from both them and his own family. Additionally, Perez had reportedly claimed to be suffering from PTSD related to his military service, a factor that is being looked into as part of the investigation. The Elko Police Department has expressed its deepest condolences to the family of Callan Perez, acknowledging the profound loss they have experienced.
