Man slain in Summerlin yard had lengthy record
A teenager who was shot and killed by a Summerlin resident on Tuesday had a history of burglaries, according to police and court records.
Demarcus Carter, 19, was arrested in North Las Vegas in April and charged with 13 felony counts of burglary, grand larceny and possession of stolen property, court records show.
He was sentenced to three years probation in December but was arrested again in February after violating the terms of his probation, records show.
Las Vegas police sources said Thursday that Carter was associated with a gang, although details were not given.
Sources said Carter also had a lengthy juvenile record, but those crimes were not disclosed because he was a minor.
In the April burglary, Carter and another teenager were caught under North Las Vegas police surveillance breaking into a home and stealing valuables, including an $800 watch. Both men had been suspected in numerous break-ins in the area, according to an arrest report.
During the interview with police, Carter confessed to several other burglaries. In one instance, Carter told police he stole a class ring from a home and gave it to his mother.
When she asked where he got the ring, Carter told his mother, “I stole it from some little white boy,” the report said. His mother, Vierla Johnson, pawned the ring for $800 and gave the cash to Carter and his friend, the report said. Carter traded his mother marijuana for the money. Johnson, 41, is currently jailed at the Clark County Detention Center for a probation violation, records show.
In addition to the home burglaries, Carter admitted to taking three televisions from a CVS Pharmacy and stealing a laptop charger from a Radio Shack. When police searched his property, they found a stolen laptop and several hundred dollars in cash.
He was also suspected of stealing two televisions and a PlayStation 2 from a home in the valley, the report said.
Carter was killed in his last burglary attempt about 9:30 a.m. Tuesday. He was shot while attempting to enter a home in the 2100 block of Spurs Court, near Town Center Drive and Sahara Avenue.
The resident of the home, who was not identified, shot Carter multiple times through a window looking onto the backyard, police said. Carter, who was unarmed, died in the yard. As he was accused of doing in previous robberies, Carter was likely trying to gain entry through a sliding glass window or door, police said.
“There was no reason for anybody to be back there, especially someone he didn’t know,” Homicide Lt. Ray Steiber said earlier this week. “There was a tall block wall and a padlocked gate. No easy access.”
Police have said the Clark County district attorney’s office will decide whether any charges against the resident were appropriate.
“We’re going to put everything together and let them determine if what he did was reasonable,” Steiber said.
Las Vegas police’s CrimeView tool showed several burglary reports within a few miles of the residence in the last two months. Police have not said Carter was a suspect in the earlier crimes.
Neighbors said the resident was a man in his late 50s who began renting the home about six months ago. He was described as a quiet person who kept to himself.
Contact reporter Mike Blasky at
mblasky@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0283.