SPARKS, NV — Sparks police are investigating a homicide-suicide after a Monday morning police pursuit ended with two deaths and a teenage girl safely rescued from the vehicle. Investigators say the case began shortly after 12:30 a.m., when the teen called 911 and told dispatchers that her father had shot her mother while they were driving near Veterans Parkway and East Greg Street.
Police said the girl told dispatchers she was still inside the car and that her mother was critically injured. Officers later located the vehicle, attempted a traffic stop and then pursued it onto Pyramid Highway before using a PIT maneuver to force it to stop.
Teen’s 911 call set the investigation in motion
According to Sparks police, the first crucial information came from the teenage passenger herself. During the 911 call, she reported that her father, identified as Richard Avalos-Flores, had shot her mother while the family was in the vehicle.
She also told dispatchers that she remained inside the car as the shooting unfolded and that her mother had been critically hurt. That alert prompted officers to respond quickly to the area and begin searching for the vehicle, police said.
The call provided investigators with both a location and a description of the urgency inside the car. It also helped officers understand that they were dealing with an active and dangerous situation involving an injured passenger and an armed suspect.
Traffic stop on Los Altos Parkway turned into a chase
Police said they found the car just after 12:45 a.m. on Los Altos Parkway and tried to stop it. Instead of pulling over, the driver continued on, which led officers to initiate a pursuit.
That chase moved onto Pyramid Highway, where officers eventually carried out a Pursuit Intervention Technique, commonly known as a PIT maneuver, to bring the vehicle to a stop. The maneuver ended the chase and allowed officers to move in on the car.
Pyramid Highway was shut down while police dealt with the scene, and the roadway was later reopened around 6 a.m., according to the initial closure notice. Officials have not said how long the wider investigation is expected to take.
Police say suspect died from self-inflicted gunshot wound
Once the vehicle stopped, police said Avalos-Flores ignored repeated commands from officers. He then suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound while still inside the car, according to Sparks police.
Officers moved in immediately after the shooting and removed the teenager from the vehicle without injury. Police said the girl was not hurt despite being trapped in the car during the earlier violence and the subsequent pursuit.
Avalos-Flores died at the scene. Investigators have described the case as a homicide-suicide, based on the earlier shooting of the mother and the gunshot wound that killed the father.
Mother was taken to hospital before dying of her injuries
Police identified the mother as Lorea Angulo. Officers found her inside the car with multiple gunshot wounds and immediately started emergency medical aid for both injured adults, police said.
Angulo was taken to a local hospital, where she later died. Her death followed the roadside treatment and emergency transport that officers provided after the car was stopped.
The teenage daughter survived and was not physically injured, police said. Investigators have not released additional details about the family beyond the identities of the adults and the fact that the girl was in the vehicle during the shooting.
What investigators have said about the early Monday closure
The overnight response initially prompted a temporary closure of a stretch of Pyramid Highway, with the road shut down around 12:30 a.m. and reopened by about 6 a.m. Heavy police activity was visible in the area during the incident, but officials did not immediately explain why the roadway was blocked until the later account of the pursuit.
Sparks police have asked anyone with information to contact Secret Witness by call or text at 775-322-4900. The investigation remains active as detectives piece together the events that led from the 911 call to the deadly outcome.
The case has also underscored how quickly a domestic shooting can escalate into a roadway standoff, with officers trying to protect a frightened passenger while stopping a fleeing suspect. For now, police are treating the deaths as part of one connected homicide-suicide investigation.
