1 hospitalized after shooting at Henderson water park

A shooting in the parking lot of a Henderson water park hospitalized a man on Friday night.

Without naming the exact location, the Henderson Police Department said in an emailed statement Saturday that officers responded to the 900 block of Galleria Drive twice Friday night.

Cowabunga Bay Water Park is at 900 Galleria, near North Gibson Road and North Boulder Highway. A water park spokesperson said in an email Saturday the water park was aware of reports of a shooting in its parking lot on Friday night.

“We’re aware that reports from the scene included the discharge of a firearm, but as this is an active investigation, we do not have full details to share at this time,” spokesperson John Pham said on behalf of the park in an email.

A woman who didn’t want her name published out of fear of retaliation said that she was coming out of the water park just before 11 p.m. when she saw what she thought to be two men in an argument with a crowd around them in the parking lot.

The last thing she heard was one of the men say “I’m not scared” before she heard gunshots and saw someone sprint away.

Police said they responded to a “large fight” at 11 p.m. and then left after the fight dispersed. Officers then responded a “short time later” to what police said was a “separate fight” and “possible shooting,” the Police Department email said.

When officers returned to the scene, police said in the email, they found a man with “apparent multiple gunshot wounds lying on the ground.” He was transported to a hospital with unknown injuries, according to police.

The woman told her family to duck behind their car and stay still. She immediately called 911.

“It was kind of slow-mo. I wasn’t feeling anything at the moment, all I was concerned about was my peoples. So I was just keeping my eyes on them,” she said. “It wasn’t until we were on the freeway is when it settled in.”

As her family drove out of the parking lot, she saw several police cars arrive at the scene.

The woman said there was an event at the water park for those 21 and older, and that there were several arguments throughout the night.

“You’d think it would be a peaceful night and we’d all act like adults, but,” she said.

Police said one male was detained at the scene, and a possible suspect was “identified but is outstanding.”

“The safety and well-being of our guests and team members remain our top priority. We will share additional information as it becomes available,” Pham said.

Contact Katie Futterman at kfutterman@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ktfutts on X and @katiefutterman.bsky.social.