Five Below Employee Slain Over Text Messages

A tragic incident unfolded at a Las Vegas Five Below store last month when 31-year-old employee Brandan Lucas was fatally shot. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department responded to the store on June 17 after reports of a shooting. Investigators believe the fatal confrontation was triggered by text messages Lucas had sent to the girlfriend of suspect David Nathaniel Vasquez, a 19-year-old who also worked at the store.

Surveillance video reportedly shows Vasquez entering the store, confronting Lucas, and then opening fire. Vasquez allegedly fled the scene in a silver Honda Civic with California license plates. As of Monday, June 24, 2026, Vasquez remained at large, with an arrest warrant issued for open murder. Lucas, who had moved to Las Vegas from Detroit approximately four years prior, is remembered by his cousin as a fun-loving family man whose life was "stolen far too soon." A GoFundMe has been established to help cover funeral and memorial expenses, with remaining funds intended to support Lucas' mother.