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2 boys accused of fatally shooting homeless man near Las Vegas Wash

Updated August 18, 2021 - 2:39 pm

Two boys were arrested after police said they fatally shot a man on a pedestrian bridge over the Las Vegas Wash on Tuesday evening.

Officers were called at about 5:30 p.m. to Douglas A. Selby Park near East Owens Avenue and North Sandhill Road after a report of a man shot on the bridge, which connects to the park, police said.

Investigators determined that a group of boys got into a fight with the man, whom police described as homeless. When the man turned to run away, one of the boys chased after him, then opened fire, police said.

The wounded man was taken to University Medical Center, where he died. He was in his 20s, Metropolitan Police Department homicide Lt. Ray Spencer said.

After the shooting, the people involved in the fight then drove off in two separate cars, Spencer said. One of the cars, a Chevrolet Monte Carlo, was later stopped by Las Vegas city marshals and two boys were arrested on murder charges.

A resident of a nearby apartment complex said about 10 children, some as young as 5, witnessed the shooting. They later watched as first responders loaded the wounded man onto a gurney while the side of his head bled, the resident said.

About two hours after the shooting, a group of little boys and girls wandered the street near the yellow crime scene tape. An officer chatted with them, handing the children police badge stickers as they watched detectives work behind the tape.

The Clark County coroner’s office will name the man who died once relatives have been notified.

Anyone with information about the shooting may may contact Metro at 702-828-3521 or, to remain anonymous, Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555.

Contact Sabrina Schnur at sschnur@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0278. Follow @sabrina_schnur on Twitter. Review-Journal staff writer Alexis Ford contributed to this report.

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