Shooting victim was gunman’s best friend, police report says

A man fatally shot his best friend at a party in a southwest valley home early Sunday morning, according to a Las Vegas police report.

The victim was identified as Eric Allen Gore.

Police said 30-year-old Michael Jeffries was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on one count of murder with a deadly weapon.

The report, which was obtained Monday, said Gore and Jeffries had been best friends for the past decade.

The shooting occurred at 12:44 a.m. in the 8700 block of Don Horton Avenue, near state Route 160 and Durango Drive.

The report said Jeffries called 911 and reported the shooting to police. Upon arrival, investigators saw a .45-caliber handgun on a kitchen counter and heard Jeffries say: "I just shot my friend. I just shot my (expletive) friend," according to the report.

Gore was taken to University Medical Center, but the report said Gore was most likely dead when officers from the Metropolitan Police Department arrived.

Jeffries told police he had several friends at his home the previous evening. The people at the party were drinking, according to the report.

Jeffries told police Gore became angry with a woman at the party, and he would not calm down even when all the guests, including the woman, left, the report said.

Jeffries told police that he tried to calm his friend, but at one point, Gore became angry at him because he "didn't have his back" in the argument.

The report said Jeffries even got Gore out of the front door, but Gore came back into the home.

Gore lived down the street from Jeffries, the report said.

Jeffries told police that when he couldn't get Gore to stop arguing, he went up to his room to retrieve his gun. As soon as he grabbed the gun, he heard Gore coming into the room yelling something, he said. That is when he fired his gun once at Gore, the report said.

Jeffries' girlfriend told police that he repeatedly punched Gore and only stopped when he announced he was going to get his gun.

The woman told police she saw Jeffries holding the gun and saw the muzzle flash when Jeffries shot Gore, according to the report.

Jeffries told police he and Gore never got into a physical fight.

The woman's 13-year-old daughter was in the home during the shooting, with a 2-year-old child who was sleeping, the report said.

Contact reporter Antonio Planas at aplanas@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4638.