Friday, April 02, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Two people killed in dispute at off-Strip casino

Customer shot trying to stop gunman; police shoot, kill suspect in parking lot

A Las Vegas police officer stands near the body of a man shot and killed by police after police say he fatally shot a customer Thursday night at the Eureka Casino. Photo by Craig L. Moran.

Las Vegas police shot and killed a man moments after he gunned down a customer during a dispute Thursday night inside the Eureka Casino, police said.

The customer, a regular at the bar on Sahara Avenue near Sixth Street, was shot after trying to stop the gunman from shooting the bartender, witnesses said.

The customer died later at University Medical Center. His name was not released.

Two officers confronted the gunman in a rear parking lot as he tried to drive away after the 6:45 p.m. incident. They shot him when he raised his handgun at the officers, Las Vegas police Capt. Tom Lozich said.

"The officers, for their protection, fearing for their lives, fired at the suspect," he said.

He did not know how many times the officers fired or how many times the gunman was hit.

Both officers were placed on routine administrative leave. Their names will not be released until 48 hours after the shooting.

Police planned to investigate both shootings well into the night.

The bar shooting began over a dispute between the gunman and a bartender, Lozich said.

A female employee, who refused to give her name, said the gunman was angry over losing money on a Double Down video poker machine at the bar.

"He didn't know how to play the machine right, and he lost money and got mad," the employee said. "And he took it out on our bartender and on one of our good patrons."

Witnesses said the gunman's target was the bartender. The customer, a cabdriver, tried to stop the shooting, they said.

A former Eureka bartender, Ron Dempsey, 38, said he knew the customer well and wasn't surprised at his bravado.

"He was very good people," he said.

The customer was in his 50s and worked for Whittlesea Blue Cab, he said.

Witnesses described a normal night in the casino at 595 E. Sahara Ave. when gunfire suddenly erupted.

"He just came in and shot the other guy three times," said a woman who refused to give her name. "He walked in, shot the guy and walked out."

Witnesses said they heard three to five gunshots.

"As soon as the pop, pop, pop, started going, everybody started screaming," said Margaret Vancil, 69.

She ducked for cover under a slot machine and didn't move until the police showed up about five minutes later, she said.

Mark Martin said he thought the first shot was a balloon popping, then "everybody hit the floor."

Lorenzo Green, 42, was gambling near the front of the casino when he heard a "barrage of gunfire," he said.

He ran for safety out the nearest door with a few other gamblers.

"My thought when the shooting started was, `Get out of there,' " Green said.

About the same time, two Las Vegas police officers were on a traffic stop on Sahara outside the casino. They noticed the commotion and moved to investigate.

Pep Boys employees George Porter and David Harris said they saw the officer-involved shooting unfold from the auto repair bay overlooking the parking lot.

The officers, a male and female, were asking people where the shooter went, and the witnesses pointed to a two-door car in the parking lot, they said.

As the officers approached the car, the driver stopped and opened the door, they said.

Both officers trained their pistols on the car and barked orders at the driver.

"The cop was telling him, he had his gun on him, `Get down. Get down. Get down,' " Porter said.

The officers yelled at the driver five or six times before they fired, Harris said.

"After being shot, he still didn't go down," he said.

Harris said he heard six or seven shots.

"They gave him plenty of time to get down," Harris said.

John Weber, 49, said he was in his van in the rear parking lot when police shot the gunman.

He saw four muzzle flashes and heard eight or nine shots, he said.