Officers shoot, kill man; 3 women, dog found dead
NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nev. (KLAS) — The man who shot and killed three women and a dog in North Las Vegas on Tuesday faced a murder charge in two separate trials in California, the 8 News Now Investigators have learned.
North Las Vegas police shot and killed Edward Brooks, 43, after he approached officers with his weapon and would not back away, officials with the North Las Vegas Police Department said.
Brooks killed Venus Hart, 48; Tiffany Mawhorter, 42; and Africa Woods-McKill, 52.
The 8 News Now Investigators reviewed records in California, which indicate Brooks was charged in connection with a 2018 cold case murder that happened in the San Diego area in 2000.
Brooks was accused of beating a 71-year-old man to death with a baseball bat. Two of Brooks’ co-defendants took plea deals and pointed the finger at Brooks. Prosecutors said DNA evidence in the victim’s pocket led them to Brooks, who at that time, was living in North Carolina.
In that case, a judge dismissed Brooks’ murder charge, officials confirmed Friday.
The judge’s decision came after juries in two trials could not agree on whether to convict or acquit Brooks, 8 News Now’s sister station in San Diego reported. The judge then dropped the case, believing a third jury would not conclude either.
In Tuesday’s shooting, the three victims and the dog were located deceased in two separate apartments near Civic Center Drive and Carey Avenue, police said.
As of Friday, North Las Vegas police had not released any more information about the shooting, including a possible motive. The department was expected to release the names of the officers involved, 911 calls and video within the coming days.
Since 1999, Brooks served prison time for drug sale and possession, buying or stealing a car, evading an officer and burglary in four different cases, according to the California Department of Corrections.
Brooks was also convicted of a drug charge in 2014, records said. He served a year in jail and was granted three years’ probation.
A photo of Brooks was not immediately available. Officials in California identified Brooks by the first name “Edwards.” It was unclear which state had identified him correctly.
