Las Vegas mass stabbing: Suspect and two victims identified after lone wolf attacked eight with kitchen knife
The suspect and two victims of the horror Las Vegas mass stabbing have now been identified, after a lone wolf attacked eight people with a kitchen knife along the Sin City strip.
Yoni Barrios, 32, is accused of going on a random stabbing rampage on the sidewalk of the Las Vegas Boulevard on Thursday, moments after he allegedly asked to pose for photos with a group of showgirls.
Barrios was found on the scene covered in his victims’ blood and was immediately taken into custody by responding officers.
He has now been booked into Clark County Detention Center on two counts of open murder with a deadly weapon and six counts of attempted murder with a deadly weapon.
Police said the motive for the attack is currently unknown but that it was an “isolated” attack where the perpetrator “acted alone”.
Maris Mareen Digiovanni, 30, and Brent Allan Hallett, 47, were both killed in the knife attack while another six unnamed victims also sustained stab wounds.
Both slain victims were residents of Las Vegas, said the Clark County Coroner’s Office.
Digiovanni’s heartbroken brother Gage posted a touching tribute to his “amazing little sister” on his Facebook page, confirming that she succumbed to injuries sustained in the “horrific random stabbing”.
“It is with great sadness that we say goodbye and see you later to my amazing little sister. Maris was a victim of the horrific random stabbing of 8 people in Las Vegas today,” he said.
“Please pray for our family and her husband. We appreciate the space to grieve in the coming days and know she touched your lives as she did ours.”
Digiovanni previously worked as a teacher in Bahrain and Hong Kong, before moving to Las Vegas where she taught at 9th Bridge School.
Police were called to reports of a stabbing with multiple victims in front of a casino in the 3100 block of South Las Vegas Boulevard at around 11.42am on Thursday, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD).
Witnesses said that Barrios, who does not live in Las Vegas, approached a group of showgirls on the sidewalk, telling them he was a chef and that he wanted to take a photo with them.
When they reportedly declined, he allegedly launched into his stabbing attack with a kitchen knife.
Police said the initial stabbing took place on the sidewalk area before the suspect continued along the strip, plunging his knife into more victims along his path.
“It appears unprovoked. There is no altercation beforehand,” Police Deputy Chief James LaRochelle said in a press conference on Thursday.
“That stabbing occurs quickly, and then the suspect subsequently goes southbound on the sidewalk area and stabs additional victims.”
One of the victims was pronounced dead at the scene while others were rushed to area hospitals, where a second victim died.
A group of concerned citizens followed the alleged attacker until law enforcement officers and a local security guard arrived, taking Mr Barrios into custody in front of the popular Venetian and Palazzo hotel-casinos.
Witnesses described seeing the suspect with a significant amount of blood “on his sleeves”.
