Law enforcement responded to reports of an active gunman at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Stateline, Nevada.
Screenshot via Google Maps
NO LATER THAN 25 March, 2:00 p.m A man has died after he was shot in the head in an incident that was responded to by an active gunman at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Stateline, Nevada, near South Lake Tahoe.
According to police, Omar Reyes Garcia was shot dead at the Hard Rock Casino and then taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
After fleeing the casino, Edgar Julian Delgado and Savannah Racquel Tautaupale, reportedly from Santa Cruz, were stopped and arrested in El Dorado County, California. Delgado was arrested for “counterfeit homicide,” while Tautaupale was booked for drink driving.
Douglas County Sheriff Daniel Coverley said between 50 and 100 law enforcement officers from multiple agencies in California and Nevada responded to the incident. Although the incident was ultimately not considered an active shooter situation, it was treated with great caution.
March 25, 12:35 p.m. Police closed a portion of Highway 50 near the California-Nevada border and ordered people at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino to take shelter after an active gunman was reported Saturday morning.
Several emergency vehicles and various law enforcement agencies were seen outside the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Stateline, Nevada, on Saturday morning, the Tahoe Daily Tribune reported. The hotel’s reservations department told the Tribune that an active gunman was present.
Police were seen drawing guns and donning riot gear before rushing toward the building, the Tribune reported.
The Nevada State Police announced in a tweet at 10:10 a.m. that Highway 50 was closed in both directions at the hotel, but gave no reason.
Active shooter in South Lake Tahoe!! Please be careful, don’t let strangers in! He was in the Hard Rock area and then took off into the mountain 😥 @GoodDaySac pic.twitter.com/HlkXjkgGhV
– Lexie (@LexiSetzer) March 25, 2023
According to the Tribune, order was lifted from the emergency accommodation at the hotel at 11:15 a.m. and emergency vehicles were cleared of the highway as of 11:30 a.m. Among the emergency vehicles present were at least four ambulances and two fire engines.
A suspect has been arrested in connection with the shooting, according to SouthTahoeNow.com. The website said a white Toyota 4-Runner with two possible suspects inside was pulled over around 9:45 a.m. on Highway 50 west of the resort town of Sierra-at-Tahoe
Douglas County has not yet released any official word on the incident.
This is an evolving story and will be updated as more information becomes available.