Wife of pastor fatally shot by neighbor in HOA dispute files wrongful death lawsuit
The widow of a Nevada pastor who watched as her husband was fatally shot by a neighbor over a longstanding dispute in front of their two children at their North Las Vegas home last month has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the neighbor.
On Dec. 29, the Rev. Nick Davi, 46, who served as a pastor of operations at the non-denominational Grace Point Church, was shot dead by his neighbor Joe Junio, 36, in a condominium complex near Deer Springs and Aviary ways.
Court documents cited by Fox 5 KVVU-TV say Davi’s widow, Sarah Davi, who was also shot in the attack recorded by her 12- and 15-year-old children from inside the family car, is now seeking unspecified damages in a lawsuit she filed last Friday. Junio is in jail on charges of murder, attempted murder, and child abuse.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Sarah Davi says in the lawsuit that she has suffered “severe physical injuries” and “extreme emotional distress,” according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
A police report cited by the publication said the late pastor and his widow had previously reported Junio to their homeowners association for “violations in relation to chickens and dogs.”
Just weeks prior to the shooting, Junio began “engaging in escalating threatening behavior” that forced the pastor and his wife to call police twice in December.
Junio once allegedly threw rocks in their yard and “ran her finger across her throat in a cutting motion and told them they were next,” according to police. The murder suspect further dumped dog feces on their property and flooded their home forcing them to file a restraining order against her.
On the day of the shooting, the lawsuit said the pastor was talking to Junio outside his home as she was inside her vehicle and she “suddenly opened the door of her vehicle” and shot him and his wife in front of their children who managed to record the incident on a cellphone.
“As a result of Defendant’s actions, Grace Point Church and North Las Vegas lost a valuable member of the community, and a family lost their husband and father,” Sarah Davi’s attorneys James Urrutia and Andrew Barton wrote in the lawsuit. “This suit seeks to hold all those responsible civilly accountable for their actions.”
Junio, according to the lawsuit, did not have a license to carry the gun she used in the attack and she had borrowed it from someone who authorities are currently tracking.
A GoFundMe campaign organized by Michael Davi, has raised more than $92,000 of a $100,000 funding target to assist the family.
“Nick was a father of two children and loving husband who was a pastor at Grace Point Church in North Las Vegas. At the age of 46, Nick maintained close friendships with his Riverhead High School and Tampa University friends,” Michael Davi said. “He touched the lives of countless people in his short time with us. We are all shocked and saddened by this senseless tragedy.”
A copy of his obituary says the late pastor had “built a warm and loving community in his adopted home of North Las Vegas after he and Sarah moved there in 2005 after being displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
“He followed a calling and joined Grace Point Church, where he became Pastor of Operations. His effect was immediate. In addition to assisting his colleagues Ty Neal and Tim Fraiser in growing the congregation, Nick was responsible for building the current space the church enjoys today,” it said.
“Nick will be remembered for being an incredibly kind, compassionate, and generous man to everyone he encountered. He was a caring husband, father, son, brother, and friend,” the obituary noted. “He made his family a priority in life. He and Sarah provided a loving home where Olivia (15) and Christian (12) are excelling in life and pursuing their passions. Caring and considerate of Sarah, they made each other better in so many ways.”
Contact: leonardo.blair@christianpost.com Follow Leonardo Blair on Twitter: @leoblair Follow Leonardo Blair on Facebook: LeoBlairChristianPost
