Three dead, one critical in shooting at north valley home

Two women and a man died and a second man was in critical condition Tuesday night after being found in a north valley home in what Las Vegas police termed a "domestic-related event."

Homicide Lt. Ray Steiber said it appeared that all four individuals, who were not identified, were related. He also said it appeared all four had been shot.

Police were called to a home at 2225 La Sombra St. at 4:20 p.m. after a neighbor reported hearing gunshots and seeing what he believed to be blood. The house is in a neighborhood of ranch-style homes near Jones Boulevard and Smoke Ranch Road.

Steiber, speaking at a late-night news conference, said he did not believe there were any outstanding suspects. He emphasized that the investigation was just a few hours old and investigators were still identifying the victims.

Asked whether the deaths were a murder-suicide, Steiber said, "It may be appearing that way."

SWAT personnel, who were called to the scene, entered the house about 5:20 p.m. and found the three dead adults. One person was fighting for his life.

Steiber said SWAT personnel went into the house in a "tactical emergency entry," but he wouldn't discuss the team's methods.

Karen Javier, who lives next door to the house, said her 23-year-old son, Andrew Newkirk, had called police.

She said he first called her after 4 p.m. He said, "Mom, I heard about seven gunshots and they were loud and close," Javier said.

She said that he initially was afraid to call police, but that after noticing a bullet hole in the front window of the neighbor's house while he was outside smoking a cigarette, he peered over the fence into the neighbor's yard.

"There was blood everywhere," he told his mother.

He then called the police.

Javier described the neighbors as a nice family of four - a couple believed to be in their 60s and their adult children, a man and a woman in their 40s.

Newkirk told his mother he saw the oldest man checking the mail about 15 to 20 minutes before he heard the gunshots.

He believed all four residents were home.

According to Clark County property records, James and Linda McCarty purchased the 1,238-square-foot house in July 1989.

"It scares the crap out of me. I don't know if I'll sleep tonight," Javier said of the incident.

The multiple deaths come just eight days after a Las Vegas police officer, Lt. Hans Walters, shot and killed his wife and 5-year-old son in a murder-suicide in Boulder City.

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