A co-owner of a Southern California restaurant has been identified as one of the three people killed during the shootings at a Reno casino, according to an elected official who knew the victim.
Andrew Canepa, co-owner of Side Street Café in the Newbury Park area of Thousand Oaks, was killed during the gunfire Monday at the Grand Sierra Resort, said Jeff Gorell, a member of the Ventura County Board of Supervisors. Gorell’s district includes Thousand Oaks, a city of more than 123,000 people north of Los Angeles. Gorell discussed Canepa’s death on social media after it was reported by a Los Angeles Fox TV station, which said it talked to Canepa’s loved ones. By mid-Tuesday afternoon, other media reported Canepa was among the victims killed.
The Center Square Tuesday couldn’t reach the Side Street Cafe, Gorell or the Reno and Sparks police departments for comments. The Spark Police Department is the lead agency in the investigation. Neither police department issued a news release Tuesday, and the departments haven’t released the names of the victims killed or injured or the name of the suspect.
Police on Monday said they didn’t know of a motive and didn’t know of a connection between the suspect and the victims.
Gorell said on social media that he and his staff were heartbroken to hear about Canepa’s death.
Canepa’s restaurant was known for its support for the victims of the 2018 mass shooting at Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks.
“Andrew was a kind soul, a dedicated business owner, and a loving father to his young son,” Gorell posted on X. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and the Side Street Café community during this incredibly difficult time. We will miss seeing his warm presence at the restaurant and are deeply saddened by this loss.”
The Fox station reported Canepa was at the casino’s valet area with a group of Southern California friends and that they traveled to Reno for a bachelor party. The station said they were waiting for an Uber ride in the casino’s valet area when the gunman approached them.
Canepa was one of the two victims in the valet area who died from being shot. One victim was pronounced dead at the scene, and the other was declared dead at the hospital, Sparks police said.
It is not clear which victim was Canepa, and police have not identified any of the victims.
A third person, a motorist driving through the casino’s parking lot, also died during the gunfire, according to the Sparks Police Department.
Two other people from the valet area were taken to a hospital, where they were reported to be in critical condition Monday, and a third person from the valet area was taken to the hospital and released.
