Man killed in LVAC shooting mourned: ‘The world lost a good soul’
A day after a deadly shooting at one of its gyms, Las Vegas Athletic Clubs was mourning one of its own.
Edgar Quinonez was described in LVAC social media posts Saturday as a “beloved part of the LVAC family for 15 years.”
“Yesterday the LVAC family lost a dear friend and teammate,” the LVAC posts on several different social media platforms stated.
The posts didn’t explicitly say that Quinonez was the person shot and killed inside the LVAC’s gym in northwest Las Vegas on Friday, but they indicated he died on Friday.
However, an ex-girlfriend, April Dianna, and friend, Alejandro Perez, said Saturday that Quinonez, a manager at the gym, was killed in the shooting, which police said also injured three other people, one critically. Metropolitan Police Department officers said they then shot and killed the gunman outside the gym.
“We kept in touch and remained friends,” said Dianna, 31, who dated Quinonez several years ago. “He was a great guy. He was very kind to everyone and he was a very hardworking person. I don’t even know how to process this right now.”
“Just a super positive person,” said friend Alejandro Perez, who met Quinonez in 2016 when Quinonez signed him up for a membership at an LVAC location. “He got along with everyone.”
Quinonez grew up in Las Vegas, Dianna said. He was a big fan of the Vegas Golden Knights and was fanatical about sports, she added.
“He loved basketball and football and hockey,” Dianna said. “It’s heartbreaking. He never had any problems with anyone. The world lost a good soul.”
Dianna said Quinonez was an only child and that his mother was “still in shock” over her son’s death.
As of Saturday afternoon, the Clark County coroner’s office had not released the identity of the person killed, nor the identity of the gunman fatally shot by Metro officers.
Police also didn’t release any names.
Chaotic scene
The initial shooting happened inside the LVAC gym, near Lake Mead Boulevard and Rainbow Boulevard, at around 1:35 p.m. Friday, Metro said in a press release.
Terrified gymgoers ran for their lives as the gunman opened fire. Police officers shot the gunman, Metro said, after he ran out of the gym.
“Officers responded to the scene and identified a suspect standing at the door armed with a firearm,” the Metro press release said. “The suspect ran out the door and officers discharged their firearms, striking him.”
Without identifying Quinonez by name, Metro Undersheriff Andrew Walsh told reporters on Friday that the shooting left one person dead in the gym.
“There have been additional victims who are being treated for injuries that they received, we believe at this time, at the hands of the suspect and the gunfire that took place inside of the facility, and we do have one person deceased inside of the gym,” Walsh said at the scene Friday.
Two of the injured victims were taken to University Medical Center, police said. In addition to the person who was in critical condition, the other person suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Another person made their own way to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
Scott Kerbs, a spokesperson for UMC, said four people in total were brought there Friday afternoon.
Tributes on social media
On Instagram Saturday, hundreds of posts offered supportive messages for Quinonez and his family.
Many described Quinonez as a positive person who wasn’t known to have problems with people. That’s how Perez remembered him Saturday.
Perez, owner of two Faded Talk Barbershop locations in Las Vegas, said after he and Quinonez forged a friendship, Quinonez a regular Faded Talk customer.
“He liked to travel and so do I, so we talked about that a lot in the barber chair,” Perez said. “I never sensed any negativity from the dude. I think maybe he was just too good for this world and God wanted him up in heaven.”
This is a developing story. Check back later for more details.
Contact Bryan Horwath at [email protected]. Follow @BryanHorwath on X.
