One teen paralyzed in Strip shooting; police seek suspect
Trying to escape a barrage of bullets, a group of young people fled in all directions after the elevator doors of a Strip parking garage opened.
Eighteen-year-old Jeremy Miller took the worst of it. He was shot five times on his lower left side, shattering his spine and resulting in paralysis from his chest down.
Troy Price, 19, was shot once near his neck. The bullet lodged in his scapula.
Destiny Garcia, 19, was hit in her left calf. She begged for her life as the shooter put the gun barrel to her head.
A Las Vegas police report released Monday detailed the aftermath of Wednesday’s shooting shortly after midnight in a garage lobby at 3785 Las Vegas Blvd. South, near the United Artists theater.
The shooting stemmed from a high school beef between Price and 18-year-old Devante Jeffers. Price believed Jeffers got him fired from his pizzeria job, the report said.
Jeffers was arrested the day of the shooting on a slew of charges, including attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder and battery with use of a deadly weapon with substantial bodily harm.
Jeffers was with a second man, the report said. A police news release said the suspect thought to be the gunman, 21-year-old Ariya Manoi, is on the lam.
Police said Manoi is wanted for felony warrants, including three counts of attempted murder and three counts of battery with use of a deadly weapon.
The report said the gunman fired at least nine rounds.
Jeffers was detained by police as he tried to get into his car at the parking structure after 2:30 a.m. Wednesday.
After the shooting, Jeffers told investigators he went to the Hard Rock Cafe on the Strip for a few hours. He said he knew Miller and Price from their days at Sierra Vista High School. Jeffers told investigators he was with his friend at the Hard Rock Cafe before the shooting when he saw Miller and Price. His friend wanted to fight them, but Jeffers refused.
Inside the parking garage, Jeffers told police he left his friend in the parking garage lobby.
Jeffers told police he was leaving the parking garage and heard gunshots but “did not want to get involved in the drama,” so he continued walking and didn’t call police.
The report said that after Miller and Price initially saw Jeffers and his friend, Miller and Price were kicked out of the Hard Rock Cafe.
They then met with a group of five young people and hopped into their car. Garcia drove. The plan was to return to the Hard Rock Cafe. The group then parked on the sixth floor of the parking structure.
Inside the car, Miller and Price made comments that they were going to beat up Jeffers, the report said.
Garcia asked them whether they wanted to kill Jeffers.
“Miller replied no and said they, he and Price, only wanted to beat him up for getting Price fired.”
Once at the parking structure, the group saw Jeffers’ car and his friend’s car also parked on the sixth floor.
Price and Miller went to the cars looking for the two, who weren’t there.
A group of eight then took the elevator down to the lobby.
That’s where Jeffers and his friend were waiting, the report said.
Witnesses told police after Garcia was struck in the calf, Jeffers and the shooter taunted her.
“Garcia fell to her knees,” the report said. “The 2nd suspect approached Garcia while she was on her knees and put the barrel of the gun against her forehead.”
Jeffers then spoke up, the report said.
Witnesses “overheard Jeffers saying ‘you’re going to die, bitch.’ Garcia began to plead for the 2nd suspect not to shoot her.”
A witness told police Jeffers’ friend got into his dark Lexus on the sixth floor and drove off, the report said.
Manoi is described as Asian, standing 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighing about 195 pounds. Manoi is considered armed and dangerous. The investigation is ongoing, police said.
Anyone with information on the shooting is urged to call the Metropolitan Police Department’s Violent Crimes Section at 828-5634 or Crime Stoppers at 385-5555.
Contact reporter Antonio Planas at aplanas@
reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4638.
