Khoice Robertson

Khoice Mateo Robertson, a 19-year-old Black man described by his family as resilient, loyal, and a visionary, was known for seeing the potential in others and for his unwavering support of those he cared about. Remembered as an inspiring brother and son, he is survived by his mother and five older siblings.

On the afternoon of August 29, 2024, Robertson was outside an apartment in the 3100 block of East Desert Inn Road in Las Vegas. According to what he told a witness before losing consciousness, a man walked up to him, asked for his name, and then shot him. Wounded in the chest, Robertson ran into his apartment and told his mother and sister he had been shot. First responders transported him to Sunrise Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Section began an investigation, with detectives noting they did not believe the attack was random. Witnesses reported seeing the shooter run through the Cotton Creek apartment complex and jump over a wall, while another saw a gray truck leaving the area after the shooting. Robertson’s sister suggested to police that his ex-girlfriend might have been involved.

Investigators found that the last person to call Robertson’s phone was 18-year-old Ilana Ceniceros. On September 4, 2024, police arrested Ceniceros. She reportedly told detectives that she and Robertson had dated on and off for eight years and that she had gone to his apartment complex that day to “scare” him. The investigation also identified a second suspect, 22-year-old Keandre Smith. Surveillance footage from the scene showed a shooter who appeared to be a Black man with long black braids, and police alleged Smith was that person.

Both Ceniceros and Smith were stopped by police in a car together in September, and officers found a stolen handgun inside the vehicle. Authorities charged both Ilana Ceniceros and Keandre Smith with murder in connection with Khoice Robertson’s death. As of September 2024, their cases were moving through the court system.