Two arrested after 6-year-old, dad shot in possible road rage
A 6-year-old girl and her dad, a man in his 30s, were shot Wednesday morning in North Las Vegas in a suspected road rage incident.
Two other men, a man and his uncle, were taken into custody, police said.
The girl and her father were shot near Lone Mountain Road and Fifth Street about 10:50 a.m. Wednesday, according to North Las Vegas police.
“We take all shootings seriously; however, when it involves a kid, it brings a special level of interest to not only the police department but also to the community,” said North Las Vegas Police Department spokesperson Brian Thomas.
Both victims were taken to University Medical Center, police said. Police said both were in stable condition.
“For reasons unknown at this time, a suspected road rage incident occurred between a tan Scion xB and a silver Nissan SUV,” police said in a release Wednesday night. “While in the area of North 5th Street and Lone Mountain Road, shots were fired at the Nissan SUV as a result of the road rage incident. The suspect then fled the area before police arrived.”
The vehicle the victims had been traveling in, a Nissan Pathfinder, ended up in the parking lot of an Olive Garden on East Craig Road between between North Fifth Street and North Bruce Street, police said.
On Wednesday after the shooting, crime scene investigators were processing the vehicle. A portion of its rear window was shattered as if it had been shot out. Other people were in the vehicle at the time, but they weren’t injured.
Thomas confirmed Wednesday night that two men had been arrested in connection with the shooting.
Donavyn Stern, 23, was arrested at a home in the 4500 block of Testarossa Lane, which is less than half a mile from the Olive Garden. He faces four counts of attempted murder and several other felony charges, Thomas said.
Zachary Stern, 39, who is Donavyn Stern’s uncle, Thomas said, was also taken into custody down the street from where police were investigating the Nissan Pathfinder in the Olive Garden parking lot. A bike that Zachary Stern had been riding was also taken by police.
Zachary Stern, who was arrested in the parking lot of an apparent restaurant under construction two doors west of the Olive Garden, was handcuffed and put in the back of a patrol vehicle. He is accused of trying to hide or destroy evidence.
His arrest played out in front of a Review-Journal reporter and photographer.
Multiple North Las Vegas police K9 units responded, and officers with dogs canvassed the nearby area as if in search of something. A North Las Vegas Fire Department firetruck then pulled up, and fire crews used a ladder to climb up on to the building’s roof. Once on the roof, a firefighter appeared to say that a gun had been found up there.
Zachary Stern was arrested on suspicion of destroying or cleaning evidence, prohibited person in possession of a firearm, resisting a police officer, and other charges, Thomas said.
Contact Brett Clarkson at bclarkson@reviewjournal.com.
