Man held on murder charge in November shooting death near downtown Las Vegas

Authorities arrested a man Wednesday in connection with a fatal shooting in late November near downtown Las Vegas.

Clark County Detention Center records show that Denfield Wright, 37, was arrested on charges of open murder, possession of narcotics with intent to sell, and possession of a gun by a prohibited person.

Just after 1 p.m. on Nov. 25, Metropolitan Police Department officers responded to reports of a shooting at an apartment at 2108 Sunrise Ave., near Fremont Street and Eastern Avenue.

The man who reported the shooting said he heard a gunshot, then looked out his window and saw a woman dragging an injured man out of an apartment, according to a Metro report.

Officers arriving at the scene found a woman matching her description exiting the apartment. Nelson Navarijo-Padilla, 22, was lying on the sidewalk just a few feet away from the apartment, dead from a gunshot wound.

Police searched the apartment and found blood, cleaning chemicals and a bloody sponge in the entryway, as well as a large silver revolver sitting on the couch. An open rear window in the apartment led into an alley, where officers found a handgun.

Officers found a shotgun in the living room and a large amount of marijuana in a closet.

The woman was taken into custody and initially said she knew nothing about the shooting, but later asked to speak with police again. She told police she was staying at the apartment with a man she knew only as “Donte.” Metro’s gang unit later identified the man as Wright.

She told police that Navarijo-Padilla and another man went to the apartment on Thanksgiving, the night before the shooting. Navarijo-Padilla told Wright that a gang controlled the neighborhood, and Wright would have to pay “taxes” if he wanted to continue selling drugs out of the apartment, according to the report.

A “street tax” is money collected from dealers who sell drugs in a gang’s neighborhood. Navarijo-Padilla told Wright he had to pay him $80. Wright asked him to come back the next day.

According to the police report, when Navarijo-Padilla returned to the apartment alone on Nov. 25, he drew a large silver revolver to show Wright and the woman that he was armed.

She told police that Wright drew a smaller gun and tried to take the revolver from Navarijo-Padilla. She said Wright shot Navarijo-Padilla during the struggle.

According to the report, Wright told the woman to get the body out of the apartment. She told police that Navarijo-Padilla was still alive when she dragged him outside and that Wright kicked Navarijo-Padilla several times as she pulled him out through the doorway.

She was helping Wright attempt to clean the blood from the floor when she heard police arrive, and decided to grab her purse and leave, according to the report. Wright closed the door behind her, and she assumed he escaped through a back window.

The police report describes Wright as “an ex-felon out of California.” It indicates he has prior convictions involving firearms that date to 1996, and he was convicted in March 2012 of being a felon in possession of a firearm and possessing a controlled substance in prison.

“Wright also has a documented moniker of ‘Assassin,’” according to the report.

Las Vegas Justice Court records show that a warrant for Wright’s arrest in the murder case was issued Dec. 21.

Contact Max Michor at mmichor@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Follow @MaxMichor on Twitter.