In the late hours of a Sunday evening in North Las Vegas, the life of Deonte’ Nash, a 31-year-old Black man, was tragically cut short in a hail of gunfire. On October 14, 2018, Deonte, along with his mother Susan Nash, 52, and his sister Dejona’e Nash, 20, were fatally shot in the parking lot of a shopping center near West Lake Mead Boulevard and Simmons Street.
A fourth individual, the father of Dejona'e's child, was also wounded in the attack but survived.
The events leading to the deadly encounter reportedly stemmed from a prior dispute. Members of the Nash family had gone to the convenience store to confront a man named Jose Easley Jr. about an earlier argument in which he had allegedly threatened another family member with a gun. An exchange of gunfire ensued in the parking lot. Deonte and his sister both died from gunshots to the head. His mother, Susan, was not only shot but was also run over by an SUV driven by the suspect.
North Las Vegas police quickly identified 41-year-old Jose Easley Jr. as the primary suspect. He was arrested a few days later, on October 18, 2018, and faced multiple charges, including three counts of murder, attempted murder, and battery with a deadly weapon. Easley was an acquaintance of the Nash family and a former employee of the convenience store where the shooting occurred. He was a convicted felon with a significant criminal history, including a prior conviction for attempted murder, for which he had served more than a decade in prison before being released in 2016.
Police also indicated that a second gunman, described as a friend of the Nash family, was present and exchanged fire during the incident. However, initial reports stated that this individual was not in custody. The investigation suggested that the Nash family was caught in the crossfire between Easley and their family friend. The community was left to mourn the loss of three members of one family, with friends and loved ones remembering Deonte’ as a hardworking father.
