1 dead in shooting at southwest Las Vegas home

A dispute between roommates led to the fatal shooting of a man Monday morning in the backyard of their southwest Las Vegas home, police said.

Shortly before 10:40 a.m., as Metropolitan Police Department officers swarmed the house on the 9700 block of Powell Plateau Court, a man in his 40s exited the residence and surrendered.

Officers could not immediately get to the victim, who had been shot in the head at close range, because it was not clear whether any armed suspects remained in the home. The officers at the scene knew of at least one other roommate, homicide Lt. Ray Spencer said.

The third roommate had reported the shooting to police. Spencer said that roommate told the 911 dispatcher that the gunman had called him and told him that he had shot their other roommate. The third roommate also told the dispatcher that he was not home at the time of the shooting.

In order to get to the victim, the officers quickly formed a tactical plan and kicked down a gate on the side of the house, Spencer said.

“Those officers definitely made a heroic decision,” Spencer said. “They got to the victim, they formed a rescue plan and put him in an ambulance very quickly.”

The man was rushed to University Medical Center, but he died from his injuries. He was in his 30s.

It was not immediately clear what led to the dispute between the two roommates. Spencer said investigators were working Monday to determine whether police had been called to the home before for any domestic-related issues involving the pair.

The handgun believed to be used in the shooting was recovered Monday.

No details about the suspect were released, and it was unclear what charges he would face.

The victim will be identified by the Clark County coroner’s office once his family has been notified. This marked the 73rd homicide in the county this year, and the 63rd investigated by Metro, Las Vegas Review-Journal records show.

Anyone with information may call Metro’s homicide unit at 702-828-3521 or, to remain anonymous, Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555.

Contact Rio Lacanlale at rlacanlale@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Follow @riolacanlale on Twitter.