Utah Mother, Son Killed In Nevada Triple Homicide; Daughter Hospitalized
Nov 4, 2020, 8:49 PM | Updated: 11:33 pm
DRAPER, Utah – A Utah mother and her 12-year-old son were killed in a Henderson, Nevada, triple homicide resulting in an officer-involved shooting.
Officials with the City of Henderson Police Department said they responded to a residential area after witness reports of gunshots and a person “down in the doorway” of an apartment.
When officers arrived on the scene, they found a 39-year-old woman and a 33-year-old woman who had both been killed.
One of the women has been identified as Diana Hawatmeh from Sandy, Utah. Hawatmeh’s 16-year-old daughter had also sustained gunshot wounds.
During a search of the area, officers found a man barricaded inside a nearby vehicle armed with a handgun and holding Hawatmeh’s 12-year-old son, Joseph, hostage.
Henderson Police tell me Jason Neo Bourne shot Diana Hawatmeh, her daughter, son, and another woman. Hawatmeh's son, Joseph was held hostage in a car. Police tried to de-escalate and ended up shooting Bourne. The 12-year-old later died from his injuries.#KSLTV pic.twitter.com/LESeLYmU7i
— Morgan Wolfe (@MorganWolfeKSL) November 5, 2020
The suspect was identified as 38-year-old Jason Neo Bourne.
Officials said police began speaking with Bourne, trying to de-escalate the situation.
Officers said they fired after they saw Bourne hold the handgun to the boy’s head, fatally injuring the suspect.
The seventh-grade boy was pulled from the vehicle and emergency medical crews began life-saving efforts. They said he died at the scene.
Investigators said Bourne had fired multiple times inside the vehicle.
Hawatmeh’s 16-year-old daughter was sent to the hospital where she was listed in stable condition.
It was not clear if the suspect and victims knew each other.
Vigil Held In Utah
Around a hundred people have come with masks to remember Diana and Joseph Hawatmeh and pray for the recovery of Yasmeen.
Diana’s husband and her eldest son were not there at the time of the shooting. Many are keeping them in their prayers tonight. @KSL5TV pic.twitter.com/twaWe6DGTv
— Morgan Wolfe (@MorganWolfeKSL) November 5, 2020
Hundreds of people gathered at Skaggs Catholic Center in Draper to remember Diana and Joseph Hawatmeh.
Diana’s husband and eldest son were not with them at the time. Family friends said the Hawatmehs own a business there that they travel back and forth to visit, but the family lives in Sandy.
“They’re such a wonderful family. They were very helpful,” Khosrow Semnani said.
Semnani’s children went to school with the Hawatmehs. He said the family would give generously to charity programs and are well-known in the community.
“We have young people that have never have had to confront death, and the death they are going to have to confront is extremely violent,” said Dr. Galey Colosimo.
Colosimo is with the Skaggs Catholic Center. Yasmeen is a student at the Juan Diego High School, and Joseph was a student at St. John Baptist Middle School. Colosimo said many students are distraught over what happened and they will have counselors available for them to talk to.
