A man who was prohibited from owning a gun has been accused of shooting into an apartment wall and killing a boy while injuring his brother. The incident occurred in Las Vegas on March 7, and the suspect, Eliazar Quintero, 41, was already serving a prison sentence for drug and gun convictions. Quintero now faces a second-degree murder charge for the stray bullet that struck the two boys.
According to police, the shooting took place at an apartment on Boulder Highway. A stray bullet went through the wall and struck 9-year-old Sir’ Armani Clark in the head, killing him. His 10-year-old brother was also hit but survived with non-life-threatening injuries.
During the investigation, officers discovered a bullet hole in an apartment wall. They then conducted a welfare check on a neighboring unoccupied apartment and found a corresponding bullet hole.
Quintero’s friend, who was present during the incident, told police that Quintero went into his bedroom for a few minutes and returned with a rifle. Quintero then aimed the rifle at the south wall, saying, “Say hello to my little friend,” before firing the weapon. The friend mentioned that Quintero appeared shocked when the rifle discharged. Immediately after the shooting, Quintero packed the rifle in a black cloth bag and fled the apartment.
The parents of the child who was killed witnessed a heavy-set Hispanic male leaving the apartment and asked if a child had been shot. The man ran away after hearing their response. Police later discovered that the tenant of the apartment had sublet it to a friend named “Carlos,” who matched Quintero’s description.
Surveillance video from the apartment complex showed a man matching Quintero’s description getting into a car that matched the description of a vehicle involved in a previous theft. Quintero’s debit card was also found in the apartment.
Quintero was scheduled to be sentenced for a charge of firearm possession by a prohibited person on March 8, the day after the shooting, but failed to appear in court. He was apprehended on March 9 for skipping court.
Another friend of Quintero’s told police that he accidentally discharged a firearm while trying to sell it inside his apartment. The bullet went through Quintero’s wall and struck the neighboring child. Quintero then gathered several firearms from his apartment and fled to another friend’s place.
Police noted that the phrase “Say hello to my little friend” is a direct quote from the movie “Scarface,” where the character Tony Montana, played by Al Pacino, uses it before going on a killing spree with a machine gun.
As of Monday, Quintero remained in custody. He has not yet appeared in court for his new charges.
