Epithet caused fight that led to Chaparral grad’s fatal shooting

The fight that led to the fatal shooting of Chaparral High School graduate Richard Nelson centered on relationship drama and an epithet, according to an arrest report obtained Thursday.

Nelson, 18, was fatally shot Saturday about 7:35 p.m. after intervening in a fight between his sister and several other people outside a home on the 4800 block of Sacks Drive, near Nellis Boulevard and Tropicana Avenue.

One of those people, murder suspect Richard Newsome, 17, surrendered to police three days later, along with his mother, Tianna Thomas, 37, who was wanted on an accessory charge.

According to the report, sometime before the fight that resulted in Nelson’s death, an initial argument broke out Saturday between Nelson’s older sister, Oniesha Coleman, and her girlfriend while they talked on the phone. The report indicates Nelson, a former Chaparral football player, had no part in the argument.

During the argument, Coleman’s girlfriend accused her of having a “romantic interest” in another woman, according to the report. She said her best friend, Imunique Newsome — the murder suspect’s sister — had shown her social media exchanges in which Coleman was flirting with the other woman.

Coleman was “upset over the allegations” and denied them, according to the report, then called Newsome a “stupid b——.” Newsome, who was with the girlfriend at the time, overhead the slur and was “angered.”

The phone conversation ended, so Coleman’s girlfriend took a bus to Coleman’s home, but during another phone call, Coleman refused to let her in.

Meanwhile, Newsome had her mother and brothers drive her to Coleman’s house, according to the report. During an interview with detectives, Coleman’s girlfriend “claimed Imunique Newsome, Immunique’s mother and brothers were looking to confront Coleman about calling Imunique Newsome a ‘stupid b——.’”

At the door, Coleman’s mother, Roxanne Bruce, told the Newsome family that Coleman was not home, then asked them to leave. The Newsome family left her doorstep but stayed in the area, talking with Coleman’s girlfriend, who was still outside.

A few minutes later, Coleman’s girlfriend realized Coleman was sitting nearby in a parked car with the other woman.

The girlfriend “approached the vehicle and grabbed Coleman by the hair in an attempt to remove Coleman from the vehicle,” according to the police report. But as Coleman got out of the car, she and her girlfriend tripped on a curb, and the two then fell to the ground.

At that moment, Newsome’s family jumped into action.

With Coleman still on the ground, the Newsomes’ mother, Tianna Thomas, punched Coleman in the face. Then the Newsome brothers began kicking and striking Coleman while yelling she was “not going to get away with calling Imunique a b——,” according to the report.

As the fight escalated, Nelson — who was still inside his family’s home, enjoying his last night of college winter break — ran outside to “render aid and assistance” to Coleman, according to the report. The Newsomes’ mother retreated, and Nelson began pushing her sons off his sister.

As the Newsome brothers backed away, the oldest, Richard Newsome, pulled out a gun and shot Nelson “several” times, the report states. The Newsome family then climbed into a car and drove away.

Nelson, a Missouri State University fresman and football player, was rushed to Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

“He was just shielding me from them,” Coleman told the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Tuesday. “He was just trying to stop them from hurting me, and he was trying to make sure I was safe — that the rest of us were safe.”

Richard Newsome faces one count of murder with a deadly weapon and is to be prosecuted in the adult justice system.

Thomas was charged with one count of harboring, concealing or aiding a felony offender and was booked into the Clark County Detention Center with a bail of $5,000. Jail records show that she was released Wednesday.

Anyone with information on the ongoing investigation into Nelson’s death may contact the Metropolitan Police Department’s homicide unit at 702-828-3521 or at homicide@lvmpd.com.

Contact Rachel Crosby at rcrosby@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5290. Follow @rachelacrosby on Twitter.