Boy, 11, killed by dad in airport murder-suicide – essay he wrote months before is heartbreaking

11-year-old Callan West Perez was shot to death in an airport bathroom and is now being mourned by his family.

A devastating incident unfolded inside a bathroom at Elko Regional Airport in Nevada on April 13, when the young boy was found dead from a gunshot wound. According to the Elko Police Department, the 11-year-old’s father is believed to have shot his son before turning the gun on himself.

In a police statement, authorities said the pair had been traveling together in a rental car when it broke down near Winnemucca, Nevada. They were towed to Elko to obtain a new vehicle. While at the airport, they entered a bathroom

Police said the boy’s father, Giovanni Perez, shot his son for an “unknown reason” before exiting the bathroom and fatally shooting himself. Authorities said he had reportedly suffered from PTSD following his military service.