In the late hours of a Sunday evening in North Las Vegas, a dispute that began with a threat escalated into a tragedy that claimed the lives of three family members. On October 14, 2018, 20-year-old Dejona’e Nash, a Black female, her mother Susan Nash, and her brother Deonte' Nash, were fatally shot in the parking lot of a convenience store. The violence erupted following a confrontation with a man who had reportedly threatened another member of their family earlier.
The family had
gone to the minimart on Lake Mead Boulevard and Simmons Street to confront 41-year-old Jose Easley Jr. about an allegation that he had earlier put a gun to the head of another Nash family member. The argument in the parking lot quickly turned deadly when gunfire was exchanged. Both Dejona’e and her brother, Deonte', were shot in the head. Their mother, Susan, was also shot and then horrifically run over by an SUV as the suspect fled the scene. A fourth person with the Nash family, a 26-year-old man, was also wounded in the arm during the shooting.
In the days following the brutal attack, North Las Vegas police arrested Jose Easley Jr., an acquaintance of the family and a man with a lengthy criminal history that included prior felony convictions for armed robbery, drug charges, and attempted murder. He was charged with three counts of murder, attempted murder, battery, assault, and weapons charges. Investigators at the scene recovered numerous bullet casings from two different firearms, revealing that a friend of the Nash family had also fired a weapon during the exchange. This individual was not immediately taken into custody.
The deaths of Dejona’e, her mother, and her brother sent shockwaves through their community, where Susan Nash was known as a beloved special education teacher's aide. A makeshift memorial of candles and flowers grew outside the convenience store as friends and loved ones mourned the loss of three members of one family in a single, senseless act of violence. Easley was held on over $1 million bail pending his court appearances.
