An 11 year old boy killed in a murder suicide at a Nevada airport is now being remembered not only for the way he died, but for the life he was building. Callan West Perez, who died after the April 13 shooting at Elko Regional Airport, had recently won third place in a local “Father of the Year” essay contest, according to media reports and family accounts.
Police say Callan’s father, 37 year old Giovanni Perez, shot the boy inside an airport restroom and then died by suicide near the ticket counter. The Elko Police Department said officers responded to an active shooter call at about 12:38 p.m. and found the father dead and the child critically injured. Callan was taken to a local hospital, where he later died.
What authorities say happened
Investigators said the father and son were traveling together when their rental vehicle became disabled near Winnemucca, Nevada. Police said they were towed to Elko so they could get another rental car, and that both entered the airport restroom together twice before the shooting happened. Authorities have said the motive remains unknown.
Police have also said there was an ongoing dispute over Callan’s care. According to KUTV, investigators said Giovanni Perez had been trying to keep the boy from both the maternal grandparents and members of his own family in the days before the shooting.
A child remembered for far more than tragedy
In the days since the shooting, Callan’s relatives have tried to shift the focus back to who he was. A family fundraiser describes him as “incredibly smart, funny, and kind,” adding that he was “wise beyond his years” and had “the biggest heart and the sweetest soul.”
The essay contest detail has made the story even harder for many people to process. People reported that the contest allowed children to write about any male role model who filled a fatherly role in their lives, and it remains unclear who Callan wrote about in the winning essay.
Questions around mental health and motive
Some reports have said Giovanni Perez was an Army veteran and that police believed mental health struggles, possibly including PTSD, may have been a factor. But authorities have not announced a definitive motive, and police have warned that investigators may never fully know why the shooting happened.
That uncertainty has left the family with grief and unanswered questions at the same time. It has also turned the case into a painful example of how custody conflict, isolation, and mental health concerns can collide in ways that devastate a child’s life. This is an inference based on police statements and family reporting about the dispute and the lack of a confirmed motive.
A case that keeps getting more heartbreaking
What stands out most now is the contrast between the child the family describes and the tragedy that ended his life. The same boy remembered for warmth, humor, and a bright future is now at the center of a case that has shaken families in both Nevada and California.
Readers looking for the most reliable coverage can review KUTV’s report on the family’s account and People’s report on the essay contest detail. For now, Callan’s name is being remembered less for the headlines around the case and more for the life his loved ones say he should have had.