Francisco Mares

Francisco Mares, a 28-year-old Hispanic man known to some as "Paco," was a barber in Las Vegas, Nevada. On the afternoon of July 31, 2021, his life was cut short in a violent encounter that ended in a car crash. Around 5 p.m., officers with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department responded to a report of a single-vehicle collision in the 1600 block of East Lane, near the intersection of Rancho and Vegas drives. They found a car that had struck a wall and, inside, discovered Francisco unresponsive in the driver's seat.

Medical personnel arrived at the scene but could not save him. It was clear that the crash was not the primary cause of his death; he was suffering from a gunshot wound. The Clark County coroner’s office later officially ruled his death a homicide. Investigators determined that Francisco had been shot while he was driving, which caused him to lose control of his vehicle and crash.

The investigation quickly led to a suspect who was also a friend of Francisco's. Just days after the shooting, in early August 2021, police arrested 27-year-old Brian Diego Terrazas. Investigators had reviewed surveillance footage from a church near the crash site, which showed a man matching Terrazas's description walking away from the area. When interviewed by police, Terrazas confessed to his involvement in his friend's death.

According to his statement, Francisco had picked him up from a nearby business. Terrazas, who was a passenger in the car, told police he was "sick from withdrawals." In a state of desperation, he held a gun to Francisco's head and demanded that he drive. After the shooting and the subsequent crash, Terrazas said he fled the scene on foot. In an effort to cover his tracks, he disposed of the gun and his clothing in a storm drain across town.

Brian Diego Terrazas was arrested and booked into the Clark County Detention Center on a charge of open murder. As of his arrest in August 2021, he was being held without bail and was awaiting his next court appearance.