Suspect in Reno casino triple shooting had no known connection to victims

The suspect alleged to have opened fire at a Reno, Nevada, casino Monday was identified as a local man with no known connections to his victims, police said Tuesday.

Sparks police identified the dead as Southern California residents Andrew Canepa and Justin Aguila, both 33, and northwest Nevada resident Angel Martinez, 66.

Aguila and Canepa were in Sparks for a bachelor party, police said in a statement. They were both shot from behind at Grand Sierra Resort while they were waiting in the valet area for a ride to Reno-Tahoe International Airport, the police department said.

Jeff Gorell, a Ventura County, California, supervisor and former deputy mayor of Los Angeles, said on Facebook that Canepa was a co-owner of Side Street Café in the Newbury Park community, about 40 miles west-northwest of downtown Los Angeles.

Gorell described Canepa as the father of a young son and a “kind soul.”

“We will miss seeing his warm presence at the restaurant and are deeply saddened by this loss,” he said.

Martinez was ambushed in the parking lot as he drove away from the casino, Sparks police said. The gunman was hiding behind a vehicle before he emerged to open fire, it said.

Three other people were injured in the shooting, with one treated at a hospital and released and two remaining under medical care Tuesday but expected to recover, the police department said.

The suspect was identified as Dakota Hawver, 26, from adjacent Reno, with no criminal or mental history of note, police said.

“Investigators have not found any connections to the Grand Sierra Resort or any of the victims, and his motive is unknown,” police said.

The attack, reported just before 7:30 a.m. Monday, unfolded as a gunman on foot and armed with a legally purchased 9 mm semiautomatic handgun opened fire on people gathered near the valet stand, police said.

The weapon apparently jammed, but only briefly, Sparks Police Chief Chris Crawforth said Monday.

As the gunman left, he shot at a security guard, who returned fire, police said. When officers arrived, he exchanged gunfire with them and was critically injured, police said.

The suspect remained hospitalized Tuesday, Sparks police said.

The police department has launched an investigation into the attack and any possible motive.

Grand Sierra Resort, a high-rise hotel and casino that often books top touring music and comedy acts, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.