In the early hours of a Wednesday morning in Las Vegas, on July 29, 2020, the life of 24-year-old Black / African American male Dae'Shawn King was tragically cut short. King was behind the wheel of a silver SUV when gunshots rang out in the central part of the city. The vehicle, carrying King and a female passenger, continued to move until it collided with a wall in the 700 block of North Eastern Avenue. When police arrived around 12:30 a.m.
in response to reports of gunfire, they discovered King deceased in the driver's seat.
The Clark County coroner's office would later confirm that Dae'Shawn King died from multiple gunshot wounds, ruling his death a homicide. The passenger, identified as 23-year-old Edna Reyes, was also struck by bullets and was rushed to University Medical Center, where she succumbed to her injuries. Her death was also ruled a homicide due to multiple gunshot wounds. The investigation into the double homicide led detectives to believe the shooting occurred on the nearby McWilliams Avenue following a conversation between the victims and the suspect. As King and Reyes drove away, the suspect fired several rounds into their vehicle.
The investigation quickly led to a suspect, 22-year-old Brian Dewakuku. He was arrested later on the same day as the shooting. An arrest report revealed that surveillance video showed a man interacting with the occupants of the SUV for several minutes before the vehicle began to drive away and the man opened fire. A distinctive pair of sneakers with a cross pattern, seen on the gunman in the video, played a key role in linking Dewakuku to the crime. A witness also came forward, telling police that Dewakuku had claimed responsibility for the killings, stating it was the result of a "bad drug deal."
Following his arrest, Brian Dewakuku was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on two counts of murder with a deadly weapon, along with other weapons-related charges. Court records indicated that he was held without bail.
