Las Vegas man killed by neighbor suffered mental health crisis before shooting, family says
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The man police say was killed by his Summerlin neighbor last week was experiencing a mental health crisis the night of the shooting, according to the victim’s family.
Joe Moreno, 47, is remembered by his mother, Connie Moreno, and one of his ten siblings, Lisa Moreno, as a ball of energy who loved sports, helping the homeless community and his two children. They also reveal an internal struggle that fluctuated within him for decades.
“He was 25 when they diagnosed him,” Connie said with dried tears on her cheeks inside the 8 News Now studios Wednesday afternoon. “He just started getting worse this last six months.”
A bipolar disorder diagnosis landed Joe in and out of treatment for years, his mother and daughter said. The National Institute of Mental Health says the illness “causes unusual shifts in a person’s mood, energy, activity levels, and concentration” and “usually requires lifelong treatment.”
While Joe was on a treatment plan, his family claims he strayed away from it in the days prior to the shooting.
“He liked to be very athletic and (the medication) made him tired where he didn’t want to go outside. It wasn’t him. Then, when he was on it and he started feeling better, he’d feel like, ‘Oh, I don’t need to take it no more,’” Lisa said, clutching a tissue damp with tears.
“He would start breaking things,” Connie added, discussing how he typically behaved during episodes.
Joe moved to Summerlin recently with a romantic partner that Connie said she’s frequently in contact with, the woman police say locked him out of their home the night of the shooting. His mother adds that this was a common way to calm Joe down while experiencing an episode.
Joe Moreno, the man police say was killed outside his Summerlin home by his neighbor last week, pictured with his two children and their mother. (Connie Moreno) Joe Moreno taking a selfie with his two children. (Connie Moreno) Joe Moreno pictured with his younger sister, Lisa Moreno. (Connie Moreno) Joe Moreno at a beach.” (Connie Moreno)
His two children with a different romantic partner are 8 and 10 years old and do not live in Las Vegas. Lisa says their mother broke the news to them nearly a week after the shooting.
“He’s never going to see his daughters again. Like, they’re never going to see their dad. It’s not fair,” Lisa said, wiping away tears. “He shouldn’t have lost his life because of mental illness.”
Eddi Moreno, 32, is accused of killing him on the night of May 13. Though they share the same last name, there is no relation besides the property line separating their Summerlin homes. Police said they were next-door neighbors.
In 911 calls obtained by 8 News Now, Eddi’s wife told officers that Joe was acting erratically outside their home while returning from a sports game. She claimed he was exposing his genitals in front of their five children, provoking Eddi to fire the gun he already had in the car they were driving home in.
Other police documents obtained by 8 News Now said that Eddi did not corroborate his wife’s story and told officers he did not recall seeing Joe expose himself. He was, however, quoted in doorbell camera footage as telling Joe, “I am going to murder you,” before gunfire, according to police.
8 News Now has since learned Eddi faced three separate battery charges in 2024 alone: one in April for assaulting a landscaper in his neighborhood and two more for punching a man during a children’s soccer game in January. He now faces an open murder charge for the May shooting and bailed out of jail last week.
A group of Eddi’s friends told 8 News Now they collectively gathered the necessary 15% of the $100,000 bail needed to get him out. They say Eddi works at an MMA-boxing-focused gym as an instructor.
“For hearing that he’s out, I’m so angry. I’m so angry. Like, my brother’s life is only worth $100,000 dollars?” Lisa said. “You overkilled. You shot five times at my brother that was no threat whatsoever to you.”
“He straight up murdered my son and he needs to be charged with murder, all the way,” Connie added.
Until Eddi’s next court date in August, this Moreno family is just beginning the process of grieving.
“He was the type that when he walked into a room, you just, you couldn’t help but smile at him, you know?” Connie said through tears. “I’m just angry, angry and hurt that the justice system, it’s not giving him justice.”
“I’m just hoping that (the courts) get down to it with all these other cases and see how violent (Eddi) was,” Lisa said. “It wasn’t necessary to take a piece of our heart away.”
The family says they are unable to afford the funeral and “services he deserves.” Lisa has created a GoFundMe campaign in hopes of raising enough money to bury him, rather than cremate.
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