Police: Court order violated

A Las Vegas man who shot and seriously wounded his ex-wife in a parking lot of downtown's Gold Spike casino Monday violated a protective order by being in contact with her, a police report stated.

Las Vegas police released the report Tuesday and identified the shooter as 24-year-old Mauricio Ernesto Solano-Mejia.

Solano-Mejia was being held without bail in the Clark County Detention Center on Tuesday afternoon on a charge of attempted murder. He also faces charges of child abuse and endangerment and assault with a deadly weapon.

Solano-Mejia is scheduled to appear in Justice Court today.

Police accuse him of grabbing his ex-wife by the throat and shooting her in the temple about 12:35 p.m. while she was in a car. The two were passing off custody of their 18-month-old daughter.

The victim's new boyfriend and a male juvenile the couple was baby-sitting were present during the shooting. The girl was pulled away from the scene by a woman who was checking into the Gold Spike.

The new boyfriend and several bystanders subdued Solano-Mejia until police arrived and arrested him.

Police said Solano-Mejia's ex-wife remained in critical condition at University Medical Center on Tuesday morning, but hospital officials wouldn't confirm that.

According to the police report, Solano-Mejia shot his ex-wife with a stolen .22-caliber gun.

Homicide Lt. Lew Roberts said Solano-Mejia had a right to see his daughter but a Family Court judge would've set the conditions for how the parents handled custody exchanges.

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