‘Please come forward’: Las Vegas woman shot in eye, public’s help sought in hunt for gunman

A woman who was maimed in a northeast Las Vegas Valley shooting last year told reporters on Tuesday that, despite the monthslong investigative efforts of police, there were still “no suspects or leads” in her case.

Metropolitan Police Department Capt. Jonathan Riddle and Martha Carbajal, a mother of four who said she was randomly shot in the eye while driving home, asked the community for help with the unsolved case during a news conference.

“I am making a plea to anyone who may know something. No matter how small it may seem, please come forward,” Carbajal, now wearing a prosthetic eye, said as tears fell down her face. “Your courage can make all the difference.”

Riddle said officers had responded to the shooting, which occurred in the 500 block of North Lamb Boulevard, near East Bonanza Road, around 7:05 p.m. on Oct. 5. One victim, later identified as Carbajal, was taken to the hospital with an apparent gunshot wound, he added.

‘Completely senseless’

In a later interview, Carbajal shared what she said happened that night.

Around 6:30 p.m., she said, she had just finished shopping near Charleston and Nellis boulevards.

While driving home, Carbajal said, she suddenly felt the urge to use the bathroom and turned right onto North Lamb Boulevard, looking for somewhere to stop. When she turned again, she entered a dead-end street where the Vera Johnson Manor B apartment complex is located, she said. Realizing there would be no available bathroom, she tried to leave.

It was then, Carbajal said, that she began hearing multiple loud blasts that sounded like fireworks. Searching for the source of the commotion — and, hopefully, a “shortcut” out of the housing complex she had driven into — she craned her neck.

After that, all Carbajal could remember, she said, was hearing an even louder “explosion” and feeling an intense pain on the right side of her face.

Carbajal underwent emergency surgery at the hospital. She said she woke up hours later and learned that she had lost her right eye.

During the news conference, Riddle called the shooting reckless and “completely senseless.” He also played video footage that showed three unidentified suspects fleeing from the apartment complex that night. One suspect could be seen clutching a gun as he jumped a fence.

Riddle said the shooting may have been gang-related. He added that, since Carbajal was shot, Metro had been taking “proactive measures” to curb violent crime in the area, specifically sending officers to shootings that don’t necessarily result in injury.

“Martha ended up in a bad place. And thank God she’s still here with us,” Riddle said. “Hopefully, with her help and your help, the rest of the community, we can find these people and make sure that this type of stuff doesn’t happen again.”

Riddle urged anyone with information about the incident or who recognizes the suspects to call Crime Stoppers at 702-385-555.

Contact Akiya Dillon at adillon@reviewjournal.com.