On a Sunday afternoon, February 12, 2017, the life of 18-year-old David Espinoza was tragically cut short in a drive-by shooting in North Las Vegas. The Hispanic male was on the 3600 block of Thomas Avenue at approximately 3:15 p.m. when a vehicle approached and someone inside opened fire. Espinoza suffered multiple gunshot wounds and his death was ruled a homicide by the Clark County coroner's office.
Another teenager was also wounded in the attack and was transported to University Medical Center in critical but stable condition.
Authorities believed the shooting was a targeted act of violence and not a random incident. The investigation into Espinoza's murder led them to three suspects: Julian Barboza, Daniel Mendoza, and an individual identified as Rojas-Gaspar. Police alleged that these individuals were members of a local gang and were responsible for the drive-by shooting that killed Espinoza. This violent act was not an isolated event, as the investigation revealed the gang's involvement in multiple other violent crimes, including another incident in March of that year where they faced four counts of attempted murder.
The case of David Espinoza's death became part of a larger law enforcement effort to dismantle the gang's operations. This culminated in "Operation Spartan Fist," a multi-agency investigation that targeted the gang's criminal activities, which ranged from drug trafficking and robbery to murder. In October 2017, authorities announced that the operation had resulted in the indictment of numerous alleged gang members. While Mendoza and Rojas-Gaspar were among those arrested, Julian Barboza was still being sought by police. The authorities emphasized that this major operation had significantly crippled the gang's activities, making the community safer.
