Boy, 11, Killed by Army Vet Dad in Airport Murder-Suicide Once Wrote Award-Winning ‘Father of the Year’ Essay
The 11-year-old boy gunned down by his troubled Army veteran dad in a tragic murder-suicide at a Nevada airport last week had once penned an award-winning “Father of the Year” essay.
Giovanni Perez, 37, shot himself in the head near an airline ticket counter at the Elko Regional Airport on April 13. His son, 11-year-old Callan West Perez, was found inside a nearby restroom suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, according to the Elko Police Department.
Callan succumbed to his injuries at a hospital later that day.
Police speculated that Perez’s PTSD may have been a contributing factor in the gruesome murder-suicide, but haven’t determined a clear motive and warned they “may never know why Callan’s life was taken.”
Callan’s mother told KUTV that Perez was an Army cook and was deployed to Iraq during his four years of service. It’s not clear if he ever participated in combat.
The mother, who wasn’t identified, explained that she didn’t have custody of Callan, but kept in touch with him over the phone and was actively working to regain custody with help from her parents. (Read more from “Boy, 11, Killed by Army Vet Dad in Airport Murder-Suicide Once Wrote Award-Winning ‘Father of the Year’ Essay” HERE)
