Veteran, father of 2, dead after Hemet double stabbing, second victim recovering

HEMET – A 29-year-old Marine Corps Veteran and father of two children – who “was in town visiting family and friends” – was one of two men stabbed in a violent early-morning confrontation in downtown Hemet, Sunday, June 19th.

The veteran died from traumatic wounds he received during the deadly confrontation.

The stabbings occurred in the parking lot of the Elite Bar, located at 118 N. Harvard Street, according to an official press release about the tragic incident.

In spite of life-saving efforts by the first officer who arrived on scene as well as efforts by responding paramedics and fire personnel, one of the two victims later died at Hemet Valley Medical Center. Officials identified the victim as Nicholas Males of Whittier,

The second victim stabbed during the attack is recovering at a local hospital. That person’s name is not being released by police officials at this time.

Dispatchers at the Hemet Police Communications Center began receiving numerous calls regarding a large fight in progress and the stabbings at 2:19 a.m.

Callers reported large groups of bystanders and a chaotic scene, with at least one person badly stabbed and bleeding heavily on the left side of his chest.

The first officer arrived at the parking lot less than one minute after the call was dispatched.

The officer quickly “located a non-responsive male…suffering from a stab wound to the torso,” according to the release.

Within two minutes of the dispatched call and one minute after his arrival, the officer advised he was performing CPR and life-saving measures to the unresponsive victim and requested law enforcement officers and other emergency first responders to expedite their response to the location. Hemet Fire and AMR personnel – who were staged at a location nearby – were at the victim’s side just two minutes later.

Paramedics treated Males at the scene before they transported him to Hemet Valley Medical Center. He died shortly after his arrival at the hospital.

At 2:25 a.m., while officers were still getting control of the large crowd and crime scene in the Elite Lounge parking lot, another officer advised the second stabbing victim had been located.

The second victim was eventually transported to Riverside County Regional Medical Center for further treatment. He was expected to survive his injuries.

Based on the circumstances and the large group of bystanders who witnessed the deadly confrontation, detectives and supervisors responded to the location to assist with the investigation.

The “preliminary investigation revealed that the victim and his friends were attacked by a large group of subjects while walking through the parking lot,” the release explained.

The release also said, “The investigation revealed that there was a large crowd of people present before, during, and after the attack.”

The investigation is ongoing and police officials were not prepared to release any further information.

 

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg in an off-duty accident.

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including the Robert Presley Detention Center, the Southwest Station in Temecula, the Hemet Station, and the Lake Elsinore Station, along with many other locations.