Las Vegas police have identified Jason Simmons as the suspect in a violent Monday incident at a residence in the city's southwest valley that left two people dead and a police officer injured, authorities said Wednesday.
Police briefing, evidence released
Assistant Sheriff Fred Haas held a briefing in which the department released 911 recordings and body-worn camera footage from officers who responded to the home at 4500 Pigeon Point Court. The materials show the rapid escalation officers encountered and have become part of an active investigation by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
According to Haas, officers were dispatched after a woman called to report that her boyfriend, later identified as Simmons, was attempting to burn her with a blowtorch. The caller also told dispatchers that her teenage daughter was inside the house.
Officers find fire, gunfire through locked door
When officers arrived they saw several small fires inside the home and smoke filling the rooms. In body camera video released by police, officers locate a woman in a bedroom suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. As officers continued to clear the residence, they encountered a locked master bedroom door.
Officer Zaira Venegas-Hernandez attempted to force entry by kicking the door. Police say Simmons then fired multiple shots through the door, striking Officer Venegas-Hernandez. She returned fire, and officers quickly cleared the house, declaring the scene a barricade.
“Officers encountered an adversarial, rapidly changing scene involving fire and active shooting through a closed door,” Assistant Sheriff Fred Haas said in the briefing.
Victims, suspect condition and response
Officer Venegas-Hernandez, who has been with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department since 2021, was transported to University Medical Center. Authorities reported that a bullet struck her ballistic vest but did not fully penetrate. She was being treated at the hospital.
SWAT teams and crisis negotiators subsequently made contact with the original caller, who told investigators that Simmons had shot himself. The woman was removed from the home and taken to a hospital with burn injuries and a gunshot wound; she remains in critical condition, police said.
Officers later located the teenage daughter suffering from injuries. Despite life-saving measures, she was pronounced dead at the scene. Police found Simmons unresponsive in the home and say he appeared to have sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
- Location: 4500 Pigeon Point Court, southwest Las Vegas valley
- Suspect: Jason Simmons (identified by LVMPD)
- Deaths: teenage daughter and Jason Simmons
- Injuries: female caller (burn and gunshot, critical); Officer Zaira Venegas-Hernandez (wounded; vest struck)
- Response: LVMPD patrol officers, SWAT, crisis negotiators; patient care at University Medical Center
What investigators have said and next steps
Assistant Sheriff Haas said investigators will continue to review the 911 calls, body camera footage and evidence from the scene as part of an ongoing criminal investigation. At the briefing, police did not release a motive or additional details about the relationships among those involved beyond the initial caller identifying Simmons as her boyfriend.
Authorities have not announced charges and have asked anyone with information or additional video related to the incident to contact LVMPD. Detectives are also working to corroborate the timeline of the events inside the house and to determine the precise movements of those involved during the police response.
The case has drawn attention in neighborhoods surrounding the scene as residents seek information about what led to a domestic call that escalated into multiple shootings, a house fire and a prolonged law enforcement response. Police statements and the released footage are intended to provide transparency while the investigation continues.
| Item | Known detail |
|---|---|
| Initial call | Woman reported boyfriend trying to burn her with a blowtorch; teenage daughter inside |
| Officer injury | Officer Venegas-Hernandez hit; ballistic vest struck |
| Fatalities | Teenage daughter and suspect Jason Simmons |
| Hospital | University Medical Center treated injured officer and female caller |
As the investigation proceeds, police stress that community members with relevant information come forward and that any witnesses preserve potential video evidence. The department did not provide additional public safety directives beyond the active investigation updates.
Further information will be released by LVMPD as it becomes available and as detectives complete their on-scene and follow-up inquiries.
