Las Vegas police, not gunman, shot victim in Rio incident

Lazareo Jones sprinted for his life.

With gunfire behind him at the Rio parking garage, he ran toward the casino doors, where a group of Las Vegas police officers were waiting.

But the 22-year-old Jones couldn't make it to safety before taking two bullets in his legs.

Investigators later learned that the 9 mm slugs that hit Jones in the left calf and right buttocks weren't fired by the gunman who started shooting after an argument turned violent. The bullets were fired by a cop.

Details about why Jones was shot that early March 11 morning remain unclear.

A Las Vegas police spokesman said Friday that results of an internal review were unavailable, and Jones could not be reached.

What is clear is that Jones was unarmed and running away from the gunfire when officer Ray Steiber III shot at him six times, according to an arrest report for the gunman released Thursday.

Steiber, son of the homicide lieutenant with the same name, was among a group of officers working overtime at the Crown Theater, a Rio nightclub known for Saturday hip-hop shows.

Six officers and a sergeant were working at the resort just west of the Strip when shots were fired in the parking garage.

According to the report, Steiber at gunpoint had ordered another man running from the gunfire to lie on the ground .

The gunshots continued as Jones ran toward the casino entrance.

"Steiber believed Lazareo Jones was the person shooting and fired approximately six shots," the report said.

The report does not explain why Steiber saw Jones as a threat.

Jones was taken to University Medical Center, where he stayed for 20 days. The hospital has since filed a lien against Jones for $134,078.44 in unpaid medical bills.

According to the arrest report for Abdullah Sykes, who was arrested this week and charged in the shooting, the incident unfolded like this:

Jones was among a group of four friends at the parking garage when an argument broke out with another group about 3:50 a.m.

During the argument, someone pulled a knife and cut Jones on the chin. Then Sykes opened fire on Jones and his friends, prompting someone from Jones' group to return fire.

Sykes, who was shot in the hand, returned to his car with several people, reloaded his gun and waited. Meanwhile, Jones and two other men headed into the casino, but when they saw four police officers walking toward them, they headed back to their car in the garage.

That is where Sykes was waiting, and he opened fire again at the trio as he drove through the garage.

Arash Weathers, 24, was hit in the knee; he was the man Steiber ordered to the ground. Jones was shot by the officer. The third man, Isaiah Perkins, 20, ran to a taxi and left.

Investigators think Sykes fired 28 rounds , emptying two 14-round magazines.

Sykes told detectives that he pulled his 9 mm Springfield Armory XD-9 only after a man in Jones' group pulled a gun and pointed it at him. Sykes said he told the man to put his gun down and yelled, "I have a registered firearm. Call 911," according to the report.

Sykes could not identify the man with the gun in a photo lineup, but he told police that Perkins had run to his car to get a gun but never retrieved it.

Sykes, 24, was being held without bail at the Clark County jail on nine charges, including four counts of attempted murder with a deadly weapon.

The Rio shooting prompted another shooting that morning outside UMC, where 30 to 40 people had gathered in support of the injured men. Three men approached the group and opened fire, wounding two people.

Police sources said the Wood gang was involved in the shooting.

The Wood gang is a notoriously violent organization whose members were accused in the fatal shooting of off-duty Las Vegas police officer Trevor Nettleton in 2009.

The Crown Theater is a known hangout for members of the Wood gang, and officers routinely worked overtime at the club because of the propensity for violence.

Contact reporter Brian Haynes at bhaynes@review journal.com or 702-383-0281.