Nevada homeless man charged for fatally stabbing taco shop owner who fed him every day after demanding money
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA: On Sunday, October 25, a homeless man allegedly fatally stabbed a Las Vegas taco shop worker who befriended him and regularly gave him food. As per police and relatives of 31-year-old Ciro Vasquez, an Army veteran who worked at his family’s Taqueria Del Paisano, he was stabbed outside the Mexican restaurant by a man called Angel Martinez.
As per reports, 29-year-old Martinez, a vagrant, went inside Taqueria Del Paisano located at 3603 Las Vegas Boulevard North and asked for “money and food” from the owner. When Vasquez escorted Martinez outside, a fight between the two ensued. Ultimately, Vasquez was stabbed in the chest and Martinez was left with a stab wound to his shoulder.
As per news reports, while Martinez has allegedly claimed to the police that he was acting in self-defense and that he “never took his knife out of his pocket” during the fight, Vasquez’s death has been ruled as a homicide. The police report states, “Martinez was the aggressor and initiated the fight,” adding that the homeless man had a history of being “aggressive” toward nearby business owners. “Martinez was the aggressor and initiated the fight, killing Vasquez,” the police’s arrest report said.
Jackelin Vasquez, a 17-year-old cousin of the deceased who also worked at the same restaurant said that Martinez would regularly create problems for the victim, even though her cousin always did what he could to help him. In fact, she also claimed that they, at the shop, had called the cops on Martinez multiple times. She said, “They were friends. He fed him like every day. I always kind of knew it would end up happening, but I never thought it would be my cousin.”
Sharing her grief, she said, “He was literally the kindest person I knew. He always tried to make everyone happy. He made everyone smile.”
As per news reports, Martinez walked away from the taco shop after the fight, but cops found him shortly thereafter with stab wounds. Martinez was arrested and booked into the Clark County Detention Center, where jail records show that he is being held without bail on a charge of open murder with a deadly weapon. He is expected in court on Wednesday, November 4.
A GoFundMe page has been created to cover funeral costs for Vasquez. The page describes him as “a kind, funny and easy-going soul”. Speaking of Vasquez who had just celebrated his 31st birthday on September 16, the page said that “he had a huge heart and was always trying to help people that crossed his path”.
“After briefly serving in the Army, Ciro worked alongside his father at our family's taco shop, Taqueria Del Paisano, located in North Las Vegas,” said the page, adding, “Our family is humbly asking family, friends, & the community to assist us during this difficult time to lay our loved one to rest. We thank you in advance for any contributions that are made. We appreciate all the support we have received during this challenging time. Please keep our family in your prayers.”