Who is Eliazar Quintero? Las Vegas man fired rifle into wall killing 9-year-old boy in neighboring apartment
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA: In a shocking incident that unfolded on March 7, Eliazar Quintero, a man with a criminal record that prohibited him from owning a firearm, raised a rifle and invoked the infamous movie quote, "Say hello to my little friend," before firing a fatal shot into an apartment wall.
This reckless act resulted in the tragic death of a 9-year-old boy and left his 10-year-old brother injured, according to 8 News Now.
Please see the attached press release regarding 41-year-old Eliazar Quintero, the suspect in a homicide that occurred on March 7, 2023, in the area of Boulder Highway and Harmon Avenue. pic.twitter.com/6nJFHhFhAr
— LVMPD (@LVMPD) October 12, 2023
Las Vegas Metro police identified Eliazar Quintero as prime suspect
Las Vegas Metro police recently identified Eliazar Quintero, a 41-year-old man with a history of drug and gun convictions, as the prime suspect in this harrowing incident.
At the time, Quintero was already serving a prison sentence. He now faces a second-degree murder charge due to a stray bullet that struck the two innocent boys, according to the authorities.
The heart-wrenching incident occurred in an apartment located on the 5300 block of Boulder Highway, just south of Harmon Avenue. The police reported that a stray bullet penetrated the wall, entering a neighboring apartment, and tragically struck 9-year-old Sir’ Armani Clark in the head, resulting in his untimely death.
His 10-year-old brother, though injured, did not sustain life-threatening harm.
During their investigation, officers discovered a bullet hole in an apartment wall.
Concerned, they decided to conduct a welfare check on a neighboring but unoccupied apartment, where they found another apparent bullet hole corresponding to the one in the neighboring apartment.
Detectives quickly surmised that someone had fired a gunshot, with the bullet passing through the wall and striking the two young boys.
Eliazar Quintero's friend recounts chilling sequence of events
A friend of Quintero's, who was present in the apartment at the time of the shooting, revealed a chilling sequence of events. Quintero had temporarily left the room, returning moments later with a rifle in hand.
He then reportedly shouldered the firearm, pointed it at the apartment's south wall, and uttered the infamous words, "Say hello to my little friend," before discharging the weapon. The friend recalled Quintero's shock when the rifle unexpectedly discharged.
After the shooting, they heard screams from the neighbor in the adjacent apartment, presumably due to Quintero's reckless act. In the aftermath, Quintero hastily packed the rifle into a black cloth bag and fled the scene.
One of the parents of the injured children informed the police that they witnessed a heavy-set Hispanic male exiting the apartment, inquiring about the well-being of the children.
When they confirmed that a child had been shot, the man hastily fled the scene. Further investigation revealed that Quintero had leased the apartment under the alias "Carlos," who was known to sell drugs.
Video shows man matching Eliazar Quintero's description getting into a stolen car
On the afternoon of March 7, 2023, Quintero had contacted the apartment's tenant and asked them to arrange maintenance for a refrigerator issue. Approximately 30 minutes later, he frantically called the tenant, stating, "Some [expletive] went down. [Expletive] went down at the apartment."
Video footage from the complex later captured a man matching Quintero's description getting into a car that coincided with a previous description from a January theft case. The police later discovered Quintero's debit card inside the apartment.
According to court records, Quintero was scheduled for sentencing on a charge of owning or possessing a firearm as a prohibited person on March 8, just a day after the shooting. However, he failed to appear in court.
At the time, Quintero was already serving a 2-to-5-year sentence on a prior charge. Two days following the shooting, police arrested Quintero based on a bench warrant for missing his court appearance.