Man arrested after shooting incident near Las Vegas valley gym

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – A Las Vegas man was arrested after two illegal shooting incidents and a standoff with officers that left local gym goers at a standstill near the 215 and Flamingo Road last week, according to police.

On Wednesday, May 1 Las Vegas Metro police responded to a home near Rainbow Boulevard and Blue Diamond Road after reports of an illegal shooting.

Man in police custody after west Las Vegas shooting investigation

A caller told police that they heard approximately five to 10 gunshots coming from a home in the area and noticed a broken window. The caller also told police that they saw a white Honda speed off and a black Infinity with Utah plates circling the neighborhood, according to a police arrest report.

When officers arrived they were approached by someone who told them they had heard four to five gunshots around 10:30 a.m. Officers also noticed the black vehicle with Utah license plates parked at a home nearby, according to the police report.

Officers then spoke to a woman at the home who explained that her boyfriend whom she identified as Joshua Damian shot multiple times into the air with a handgun in the backyard after she said they were arguing. The woman then told officers Damian had left with a friend, the arrest report stated.

A person claiming to be a relative of Damian’s called Las Vegas Metro police informing them they had been told that Damien was headed to a gym in the 9600 block of Flamingo Road near the 215, according to the police report.

Shortly after 1:30 p.m. a person called 911 to report a shooting at the gym previously mentioned. According to the police arrest report, two people inside a white sedan drove into the gym parking lot. The person seated in the passenger seat is accused of shooting approximately seven to 10 rounds into the air with a handgun, the police report stated. Then, the vehicle briefly left the parking lot but returned a short time after and parked in the lot near the front entrance of the gym, according to the report.

When officers arrived at the gym they were directed by onlookers to the white vehicle parked in the lot. The driver of the vehicle was taken into custody without incident and identified as Aaron Tainatongo, according to the police report.

However, the passenger identified as Damian refused to surrender, according to police.

Officers said that they treated the situation as an armed barricade and noted that Damian would exit the passenger seat and stand near the vehicle, however, “ignoring officers orders while yelling incoherently.” At one point, Damian was accused by police of “coming out only wearing his underwear and even lowered his underwear to his knees,” giving officers the middle finger, and “even demanding that officers shoot him,” according to the police report.

Officers then said they engaged Damian with a “less lethal shotgun” while the K9 patrol dog was deployed. However, police said Damian “managed to get back into the vehicle and close the door, preventing the dog from being able to apprehend him,” the police report stated. Eventually, Damian surrendered to the police and was taken into custody.

Damian’s girlfriend told police things between them were fine up until the past two weeks. She told police Damian had recently lost his job and alleged that he had been using marijuana and “acting very strange,” according to the police report. She also told officers that on that particular day, Damian woke up and appeared agitated and she decided to make him breakfast. While trying to talk to him she said he went outside and started to shoot his rifle into the air. That is when she told police she was scared but at no point did he point the firearm at her or threaten her. Then she told police he put the rifle on the counter and started to break the counter and throw things around the kitchen. That is when she said she called 911 and when Damian noticed he left with one of his friends, according to the arrest report.

Tainatongo, the man identified as the driver in the white Honda told police Damian called him around noon asking for a ride to the gym. Tainatongo added that Damian did not have any bags with him and that he did not know that Damian had a firearm on his person, according to the report. Tainatongo drove Damian to the gym and when the person Damian was there to meet was not there the two drove up the roadway in the parking lot. He then told police that he saw Damian hold the handgun out the window and start shooting, according to the police arrest report.

Tainatongo told police after the shooting whoever Damian was meeting called to say they were in the parking lot. That is when Tainatong said he dropped Damian off at the front of the gym. Tainatong then went to the gas station, according to the police report.

When Tainatongo returned a few minutes later he told police Damian came out of the gym and sat in the front driver’s seat. Tainatong stood around until police told him to approach them, according to police.

Tainatongo alleged that the gun in the car belonged to Damian and that he left it on the passenger seat when he was dropped off. Tainatongo added that he moved the gun and put it under the driver’s seat, according to the police arrest report.

Officers said they impounded a Glock handgun, an extended Glock magazine with cartridges, a Glock magazine loaded to capacity, an AR pistol, and 9mm cartridge cases during the police investigation.

Las Vegas Metro police said Damian faces the following charges:

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