Reno casino victim ID’d as Calif. dad who advocated for mass shooting victims — as new video shows gunman fleeing scene
A restaurateur and father who once ran a fundraiser for mass shooting victims was identified as one of three people gunned down at a Nevada casino Monday — as frightening new footage showed the gunman fleeing across a parking lot as patrons cowered nearby.
Andrew Canepa, co-owner of the Side Street Café in Los Angeles, was identified as a victim of the apparent random shooting at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, an official said Tuesday.
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“Andrew was a kind soul, a dedicated business owner, and a loving father to his young son,” Ventura County (Calif.) Supervisor Jeff Gorell wrote on X.
“We will miss seeing his warm presence at the restaurant and are deeply saddened by this loss.”
Local business owners also described him as “one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet.”
“Always very welcoming, always happy. Very welcoming to the community, very supportive,” a neighbor named Rick told KABC.
In a sad twist, Canepa’s support included leading a fundraiser to help victims of the 2018 mass shooting at the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks, friends said.
Twelve innocent people were randomly killed by a deranged gunman in that tragedy, which happened just down the road from Canepa’s restaurant.
Friends told KABC it was appalling he was now the victim of a mass shooting himself.
Canepa was one of three killed when the gunman approached the Grand Sierra Resort’s valet parking area Monday morning, pulled out a gun and started spraying bullets at patrons waiting to collect their cars.
The brief clip that surfaced of the rampage captured the gunman jogging across the parking lot just after 7 a.m. — as people ran away ahead of him to hide among the lines of cars.
Others were seen crouching behind the building’s columns for cover.
“Somebody’s shooting over here. People running,” the person filming the video said. “There he is, right there, that guy.”
The gunman was wearing a backpack in the clip — verified by local police, according to KRNV — and appeared to have a ponytail and beard. His identity has not been revealed.
Responding police eventually shot the gunman dead and arrested him in critical condition after a harrowing shootout that ranged across the prominent casino’s parking lot.
The other victims have not yet been identified.
The gunman who killed Canepa had apparently no connection to his victims, Reno police said Monday, and no motivation has been identified yet.
He wounded three people and killed one at the valet — commencing his attack after his pistol initially jammed — then fled across the parking lot and began shooting at a security guard who attempted to stop him.
Then he shot at a random car passing by, killing the driver.
Finally he encountered responding police on the other side of the lot, where a shootout filled the air with bullets until he was dropped and arrested.
Of the three wounded at the valet, two were hospitalized in critical condition with gunshot wounds while the third was discharged. Three more people were also treated for other injuries at the scene, including one whose hand was grazed by a bullet. A police officer also suffered glass cuts during the shootout.
Witnesses described watching the violence unfold with horror — including one who saw a man drop, motionless, to the ground with his hands over his stomach.
“A half hour after the incident I started shaking because I realized I could’ve been there,” said witness Michael Sisco, who was on the way to the valet himself to pick up his car.
“That’s exactly where I was going,” the 60-year-old told the Associated Press.
Casino guest Christina Martinez heard the gunfire begin as she stepped into the lobby elevator — and it was still going off when she got out on the 18th floor.
Police “responded very quickly,” Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve told the Reno Gazette Journal.
“It could have been much, much worse,” she said.
Reno police warned residents to stay out of the area as they investigated.
Multiple emergency vehicles, including several ambulances, responded to the casino.
“My heart breaks for the victims, their families, and our entire community. Reno is strong — but we are not immune to the epidemic of gun violence gripping this nation,” City Council member Devon Reese said on social media.
The Grand Sierra — one of the tallest buildings in Reno — was the site of a January 2024 shooting homicide. Two men were charged in that murder.
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