Family mourns man found dead near Las Vegas dumpster

There are some things Tamica Davis-Stephens wants people to know about her younger brother, who died in a fatal shooting and whose body was found near a dumpster last weekend.

Eric Davis Jr., 45, had a family, was loved and was known for his beautiful smile, his sister said Monday after a hearing for Jaron Amey, 35, the man accused of killing Davis.

Amey faces charges including open murder, kidnapping, robbery and assault with a deadly weapon. His bail has not been set and he is currently incarcerated at the Clark County Detention Center.

A man who appeared to have been shot was found in the 5000 block of Maryland Parkway on Aug. 11, the Metropolitan Police Department said. The man, later identified by the Clark County coroner’s office as Davis, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The coroner’s office determined Davis died of a penetrating gunshot wound to the torso. His death was ruled a homicide.

“I just need people to know. He does have a family. He’s not just somebody they found behind a dumpster,” Davis-Stephens said.

She said her brother had a 24-year-old son and lived in the area where he was killed. He stayed with her or another sister, she said.

He made everybody laugh, she said, and loved cracking jokes. He could sing and play the drums. And he loved rap, R&B and Motown music.

Davis-Stephens said he suffered a head injury when he was 14, which led to him receiving Supplemental Security Income disability payments. Despite that setback, he managed to earn his GED and become a certified electrician, she said. He grew up in San Bernardino and had lived in Las Vegas since 2007.

According to a Metropolitan Police Department arrest report, police got a tip on Aug. 12 that the suspect in the killing was “PJ/Rome,” nicknames for Amey.

A day later, Metro said, Amey’s girlfriend flagged police down to report that he was holding two men hostage at gunpoint in a security booth. Officers found the two men there, but Amey had left before they arrived.

Amey’s girlfriend also claimed that he made her get in her car at gunpoint and drove her around until she managed to flee at a gas station, police said. Amey then called her and threatened to shoot a security guard who was his friend unless she came to a security booth, according to the report.

Police said Amey’s girlfriend identified him in photos from the night of the shooting.

In a police interview, Amey claimed his girlfriend was setting him up and had forced him to sell drugs, according to Metro.

Amey also told police Davis owed money.

“Davis approached him and was acting like he was coming at him and smiling,” according to a police account of Amey’s interview. “He said he didn’t know what to do and told Davis to back up numerous times. He got really close where he pulled out his Springfield .45 caliber gun from his pocket and shot Davis.”

Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BrighamNoble on X.