Man who killed five people in North Las Vegas took ex-girlfriend hostage after mass shooting, police say

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LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The man who shot and killed five people and injured a teenager in a series of shootings Monday night took his ex-girlfriend hostage after the shootings, police said Thursday.

Eric Adams, 47, shot and killed six people and kidnapped another at two apartments at the Craig Ranch Villas near Craig Ranch Park and Commerce Street shortly after 10 p.m. on Monday, June 24, police said.

On Tuesday, Adams committed suicide while police were arresting him.

According to North Las Vegas police, Adams was visiting his ex-girlfriend in a ground floor apartment at Craig Ranch Villas when a domestic dispute broke out between the two.

During the argument, Adams armed himself with a gun and shot two other women in the apartment: the ex-girlfriend’s 24-year-old daughter and her 22-year-old friend.

Police said an upstairs neighbor, a 20-year-old man, overheard the argument and went downstairs to see if he could help.

For unknown reasons, Adams shot the man in the downstairs apartment before going upstairs to the man’s apartment and shooting his 59-year-old grandmother and 40-year-old mother.

He also shot and wounded the man’s 13-year-old sister, who was still in hospital on Wednesday.

There were two other teenagers in the apartment upstairs whom Adams did not see and who remained unharmed.

Adams then took his ex-girlfriend hostage and drove away from the scene. In the early morning hours of Tuesday, June 25, she escaped unharmed and approached a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officer who was conducting a traffic stop unrelated to the incident.

When NLVPD officers arrived at the apartment complex, they first found the victims in the upstairs apartment. Shortly thereafter, with the new information from the ex-girlfriend, investigators found the three other victims in the ground floor apartment.

On Wednesday, the Clark County Coroner’s Office identified 24-year-old Kayla Harris as one of the victims on the first floor. The cause of death was listed as a gunshot wound to the head, neck and chest. The other victims have not yet been officially identified.

Adams completed domestic violence counseling earlier this month and threatened to kill a woman last year, 8 News Now investigators first reported Wednesday.

Court records show that Adams has a history of domestic violence convictions. In a 2023 case, a judge ordered him to attend classes for a year, pay a fine and perform community service.

On Tuesday morning, police said Adams was believed to be armed and “extremely dangerous.” They advised anyone who saw him not to approach him. Metro police said they received information that Adams was at a business in the 1500 block of Lake Mead Boulevard.

North Las Vegas police said when officers arrived on scene, they found Adams armed with a firearm before he jumped into the backyard of a residence on Dwayne Stedman Avenue near MLK Boulevard and Balzar Avenue.

Officers verbally ordered Adams to drop his weapon, but he ignored orders and committed suicide, police said.

The surviving victims and their families are being supported by North Las Vegas police, victim advocates and detectives to help them through this difficult time, police said.

Anyone with information regarding this crime is asked to contact North Las Vegas Police at 702-633-9111. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers by phone at 702-385-5555 or online at crimestoppersofnv.com.

A list of local and state resources for victims of domestic violence and abuse can be found at this link.