In the late hours of a Saturday night in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, a gathering celebrating a birthday turned into a scene of unimaginable horror. On August 29, 2010, 20-year-old Broc Wade Kelson, a white male, was tragically killed in a mass shooting that claimed the lives of five people and left another critically injured. The devastating event unfolded when 26-year-old Brian Diez forcibly entered a residence on Opossum Drive and opened fire on the occupants.
The gathering was a
birthday party for Primo Verdone, who was celebrating with his new girlfriend, 23-year-old Deborah Langstaff. The shooter, Brian Diez, was Langstaff's ex-boyfriend and the father of her two young children. Earlier in the month, Diez had been arrested for violating a restraining order Langstaff had taken out against him amidst a custody dispute. The shooting claimed the lives of Langstaff, Verdone, 42-year-old Russell Nyland, and his 20-year-old daughter, Ashleigh Nyland. Broc Kelson, who was Ashleigh's boyfriend, was critically injured and transported to Havasu Regional Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries. The sole survivor of the initial attack was 44-year-old Deborah Nyland, Russell's wife and Ashleigh's mother, who was the one to call 911.
Following the horrific shooting, Diez abducted his and Langstaff's two children, a 4-year-old girl and a 13-month-old boy, prompting an Amber Alert. The search for Diez ended in the early hours of the following morning in Rancho Cucamonga, California. Authorities located him at the home of a relative, where he had left the two children unharmed. Before he could be apprehended, Brian Diez died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The case was resolved with the death of the primary and only suspect, bringing a tragic end to a violent rampage rooted in a domestic dispute.
