19-year-old Gene Mcarn stabbed to death at Red Hawk Casino - Estaphen Juarez a person of interest

The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Department said Mcarn was stabbed at around 10:30 p.m. on the sixth floor of the garage. Deputies say the attack was in the casino parking structure after an altercation that may have started inside the casino. Investigators are using casino surveillance cameras to piece together what happened.

The victim was identified as Gene Mcarn, 19, of Rescue. Mcarn was taken to Marshall Hospital where he died from his wounds, sheriff's officials said.

The 19-year-old Mcarn attended El Dorado and Ponderosa high schools. He played football.

He was attending Sacramento State and majoring in films and motion pictures, according to his Linkedin page.

CBS13 reached Mcarn’s grieving stepmother by phone in Fresno just hours after she learned of his death.

“My heart is broken for everybody in the family, his brothers and sisters and myself,” Kara Mcarn said. “Gene had a really big heart.”

According to El Dorado County sheriff's Sgt. Phil Chovanec, deputies were called to the casino at 1 Red Hawk Parkway at approximately 10:30 p.m. for a stabbing. The victim's friends took him to Marshall Hospital in Placerville for medical care but he did not survive his injuries, Chovanec said.

Detectives have identified Estaphen Juarez as a person of interest in the case and were looking for him, Chovanec said.

Casino patrons said that they were stopped at the parking level six elevators last night and denied access to their vehicles while the Sheriff's office was investigating the stabbing.

why the stabbing took place was not clear and the investigation is ongoing.