Police say three citizens restrained Alejandro Estrada after Amanda and Victor Frias Rosas were killed.
LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Three bystanders held down a man accused of killing his former partner and her husband inside a Las Vegas Smith’s grocery store, ending a burst of violence that sent shoppers running, police said.
The intervention outside the store became a key part of the police response to the May 12 shooting that killed Amanda Frias Rosas, 40, and Victor Frias Rosas, 43. Officers arrived at the grocery store on South Maryland Parkway and found citizens restraining Alejandro Estrada, 43, who police say had several weapons and was involved in a custody dispute with Amanda Frias Rosas.
The shooting unfolded in an ordinary part of the day, inside a store in the Silverado Ranch area where people were shopping, working and moving through checkout lanes. Witnesses described hearing rapid gunfire, then seeing customers scatter. Shopper Hanna Manker said she was inside with her two young children when the shots rang out. “My kids and I went to get some groceries,” Manker said. “Everybody started running. I didn’t know what to do so I ducked down with my kids.” Other witnesses said the gunman appeared calm as people fled. Paula Milton, another shopper, said there was a volley of shots and that the suspect stood out because of his lack of visible emotion.
Police said Amanda and Victor Frias Rosas were shot inside the store and died there before they could be taken to a hospital. The couple both worked at the Smith’s, though reports later said they were shopping at the time of the shooting. A co-worker, Arturo Salazar, said one detail from the scene stayed with him. The couple had a cake in their cart for a child’s birthday. “They had a cake that said, ‘Happy birthday,’” Salazar said. The shooting happened on the 12th birthday of the son Amanda Frias Rosas shared with Estrada. Their younger child’s birthday was two days later. Neither child was in the store when the shooting happened.
After the gunfire, witnesses said the suspect moved toward the outside of the store. Police later said several people confronted him near the pharmacy drive-thru area. Merconie Clark said he approached the gunman and fought with him over a gun. “I just walked over there towards him,” Clark said. “He pulled out his gun. We’re wrestling for the gun.” Clark later said he did not know at first that the suspect had more weapons in a backpack. Darius Alston said he rushed in after hearing Clark call for help. The men held Estrada down until police arrived. Las Vegas homicide Lt. Robert Price said the bystanders “showed tremendous courage” and likely kept the scene from becoming worse.
Officers had been sent to the store after dispatchers received multiple calls at about 11:24 a.m. reporting a male shooting inside a grocery store in the 9700 block of South Maryland Parkway. When they reached the scene, police found Estrada already restrained. He was taken into custody without further incident, police said. Investigators later said he had three guns, including one in his backpack, along with multiple loaded magazines. The store and parking lot were secured as homicide detectives began processing the scene. Police said they found two victims with apparent gunshot wounds inside the store and later recovered multiple .45-caliber casings near the victims.
The first police statement did not name the victims, but it established the relationship at the center of the case. Detectives said the female victim had previously been in a relationship with Estrada and was married to the male victim. They also said Estrada and the female victim had been dealing with custody-related disputes. Local reports later identified the victims as Amanda Frias Rosas and Victor Frias Rosas. Court records and police reports say Amanda Frias Rosas and Estrada shared two children and had been in a long-running family court dispute over custody and support. Estrada had been ordered to pay $342 a month in child support and owed more than $2,800 as of November, according to reports citing filings.
A later arrest report shifted the focus from the store scene to what police say happened before the shooting. Investigators wrote that Estrada left his North Las Vegas home at 6:46 a.m. in black clothing and with a backpack. Surveillance showed him at the couple’s home shortly before 11 a.m. Police said the doorbell camera had been ripped away, a rear sliding door was broken, a bullet was found in the living room and the master bedroom was ransacked. Estrada told detectives he had gone there first, found the couple gone and destroyed their bedroom in anger, according to the report. Video later showed him entering the Smith’s around 11:20 a.m.
Inside the store, police said, Estrada found the couple and waited. Detectives wrote that he circled the produce section until Amanda and Victor Frias Rosas turned their backs and went into an aisle where no other shoppers were nearby. He then shot them multiple times, according to the report. Police said he left a red folder with family court documents near Amanda Frias Rosas after the shooting, saying he wanted investigators to know why he had done it. Detectives wrote that Estrada said he killed Victor Frias Rosas because Victor was part of the problem. The report also says Estrada told police that, without the bystanders’ intervention, he planned to “shoot it out” with officers.
The arrest report says Estrada told detectives that the custody and support dispute had shaped his actions. He said Amanda Frias Rosas ended their relationship after he lost his job in 2020. He said he later lost parental rights and was forced to pay support he could not afford, including through wage garnishment. Police said he had been served with notice to appear June 1 in a custody and support matter. That notice, the report says, was when he decided he would have to kill Amanda Frias Rosas because he believed she was ruining his life. Police also said he destroyed electronics and deleted social media accounts two days before the attack.
Kroger, Smith’s parent company, said after the shooting that the store would remain closed while police continued their investigation. The company said it was cooperating with Las Vegas Metropolitan Police and offering support to workers and customers. For those inside the store, the aftermath stretched beyond the crime scene tape. Manker said the shooting left her family shaken. Friends and co-workers described Amanda and Victor Frias Rosas as kind and helpful. One family friend said Victor Frias Rosas was one of the nicest people he had met and that the couple were down to earth and often smiling.
Estrada faces a consolidated criminal case that includes two counts of first-degree murder and other felony charges tied to the store shooting and the earlier break-in at the couple’s home. He remains held without bail. His next hearing is scheduled for June 29 at 9:30 a.m., with prosecutors expected to rely on witness accounts, surveillance video, physical evidence and Estrada’s alleged statements.
Author note: Last updated June 15, 2026.