LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Newly released 911 call recordings detail the initial moments of panic, confusion, and distress after gunshots erupted during October’s First Friday festival in the downtown Las Vegas Arts District.
The shooting occurred around 10:15 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 2, near South Main Street and West Charleston Boulevard, where thousands had gathered for the monthly cultural street festival.
The emergency calls, placed to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and fire dispatch late Friday, Oct. 2, and into Saturday, Oct. 3, capture frantic bar employees sheltering patrons, witnesses tracking a wounded victim across downtown streets, anxious parents trying to locate detained teenagers, and tipsters recounting the confrontation that sparked the violence.
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Panic on Main Street
The initial calls began streaming into emergency dispatch around 10:18 p.m. on Oct. 2. A caller at Philly Famous Cheesesteaks on South Main Street urged police to respond as crowds rushed inside for safety.
“We need assistance. Shots fired,” the caller told dispatchers, noting that while they did not see the weapon directly, dozens of festivalgoers were fleeing toward the business. “Everybody just started coming over here, so everybody’s running. … We got like a mass people over here right now.”
Minutes later, a manager at the nearby Audio Bar reported the shots fired behind the venue, prompting another rush of people into the establishment. Nearby, callers reported hearing approximately five gunshots near Charleston Boulevard and Main Street.
Victim transported across rail tracks
As dispatchers coordinated officer responses, another caller reached 911 reporting an 18-year-old man had been shot in the lower leg near the Arts District.
According to call logs and dispatch audio, bystanders placed the wounded teen into the bed of a passing white Ford F-150 pickup truck to transport him toward safety. The truck traveled past nearby railroad tracks toward Grand Central Parkway and Iron Horse Court, near the Las Vegas North Premium Outlets, before departing after officers arrived.
“He got shot in the leg…. The bullet didn’t exit, he’s not bleeding too bad,” a friend assisting the victim told an emergency dispatcher before flagging down responding patrol units. Medical units were dispatched to the intersection after police cleared the scene.
Parents seek answers overnight
In the early morning hours of Oct. 3, several family members contacted Metro Police seeking information on relatives who had attended First Friday and had not returned home.
One mother calling from Los Angeles reported her son had been downtown during the incident and was among a group held for questioning by investigators. Another parent in Las Vegas called dispatch multiple times inquiring about her teenage son, who was detained as an eyewitness.
“He’s a minor … and he was on Charleston and Main Street at the Arts District,” the mother told dispatchers, explaining that investigators had closed off the area and were interviewing witnesses. “I’m just really worried and concerned because I haven’t been able to get in contact with him.”
A third caller contacted police seeking to confirm whether her 16-year-old relative had been taken to a hospital or juvenile facility after failing to reach him.
Witnesses describe dispute, videos submitted
Later Saturday, multiple witnesses contacted detectives offering video recordings and eyewitness accounts of the moments preceding the gunfire.
One witness, who described stepping between the individuals before the shooting, told dispatchers that the altercation began over marijuana shared with a young woman, which quickly escalated into an argument between two groups.
“I saw everything that happened that led up to the shooting,” the witness said. “I actually got in between the two of them initially.”
Another caller reported having video footage capturing the confrontation and an individual displaying a firearm before shots were fired. Investigators took the callers’ information and arranged follow-up interviews with detectives to assist the investigation.
The incident claimed the life of 15-year-old Carth Onasi Jacobs-Rodgers and left two others wounded.
Police recovered nine shell casings and a red wallet at the scene, which led investigators to arrest 17-year-old Isaac Manriquez on charges of open murder and attempted murder.
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