LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Dozens of community members gathered at Bob Price Park on Wednesday night for a somber ceremony honoring the 16 lives lost to domestic violence in 2024.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department dedicated a tree to the victims of domestic abuse. Each victim's name was also read aloud during the ceremony, with their names now hanging from tags on a memorial tree.
WATCH: Loved ones remember lives lost to domestic violence in 2024
"She was a vibrant young thing. She was the life of the party. She was a spirit. She was a mother. She was everything," said Breyanna Sotomayor about her daughter.
For Tases Williams' family, the ceremony was more than a remembrance — it was a night to keep their loved one's name alive.
"I am lost without her, but I am going to make it. I got her. Forever. Forever," Williams said.
LVMPD says Williams' daughter, 33-year-old Breyanna Sotomayor, was stabbed to death by her abuser on Jan. 25, 2024. That day was also Williams' birthday.
"I got the call from one of my grandchildren who found her that morning," Williams said.
The violence has only grown this year. LVMPD statistics show 17 people have already lost their lives at the hands of abusers in 2025.
"If you know somebody that is involved in that, if you are involved in that personally, just come forward. We'll do everything we can to get you out of that cycle of violence and hold the person responsible who put you in that situation accountable," said LVMPD Undersheriff Andrew Walsh.
Walsh says domestic violence doesn't just happen between romantic partners — it can also happen between family members.
That was the case with a recent killing on Sunday night, in which police say a dispute between three family members turned violent.
Investigators believe a mother, father and their adult son were arguing in their apartment when multiple guns were pulled and all three family members were shot.
Crime
Family dispute leaves 1 person dead, 2 others injured in the northwest valley
Police tell us the mother died at the scene. The father and son were hospitalized, and one of them has since been arrested for open murder and attempted murder.
"Sometimes, just taking a breath, walking away, and not losing control of your own reason or thought is the key to keeping things peaceful," Walsh said.
Las Vegas police hope ceremonies like this one can serve as a reminder that help is available to anyone.
"I have a lot of faith we can get to a point where we have zero domestic violence homicides in our community," Walsh said.
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