On December 7, 2024, at about 1:12 p.m. officers from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department responded to a reported shooting near Lake Mead Boulevard and D Street. They found 36-year-old Paul Burkhart Jr. and his wife with gunshot wounds. Burkhart died at a nearby hospital from multiple gunshot wounds; his wife suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Investigators say a verbal argument between the couple became physical and that Burkhart pushed his wife to the ground. At that point the wife’s 18-year-old son, Steven Bernard, went to his bedroom, retrieved a firearm and fired multiple shots, striking both Burkhart and his mother. Bernard then collected several firearms and fled in a black four-door vehicle. An arrest warrant was issued and he was taken into custody on December 12, 2024, in Henderson. He faces an open murder charge and is being held without bail; a preliminary hearing was set for January 22, 2025.

A GoFundMe titled Honor Paul’s Big Heart with Your Support was created to help with funeral costs and describes Burkhart as generous and deeply missed. If anyone knew Paul, his family, or was in the area that afternoon, please come forward with information.