2 more arrests made in fatal Fremont shooting

Las Vegas police have made two more arrests in connection with what officers say is a gang-related shooting that left a 24-year-old man dead.

Richard Najera was fatally wounded just before midnight May 29 when he was shot in the 2900 block of Fremont Street, near the intersection at Oakey Boulevard, police said.

Nicholas Pedro “Silent” Cortes, 17, and Miguel “Trips” Salazar, also a minor, were booked Wednesday on one count each of second-degree murder, conspiracy to murder, robbery and and conspiracy to rob. Their Metro arrest report specified their charges also are gang related.

Salazar’s age was not immediately available. He and Cortes were already in the Clark County Juvenile Detention Center on separate juvenile warrants, according to their arrest report.

A third suspect already had been arrested. Yors “Cuete” Garcia-Mier, 18, was booked on identical charges to Cortez and Salazar’s shortly after the shooting. He is being held at the Clark County Detention Center.

The trio is affiliated with the Youths Taking Kontrol gang, also known as “YTK,” according to a Las Vegas Justice Court criminal complaint. Najera was connected to the Barrio Naked City gang.

Officers responded to calls about a fight and found Najera suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest, he died at University Medical Center a short while later.

The trio were driving around in a tan Honda Accord near where the shooting happened. Two other occupants, identified in the arrest report as “Smiley” and “Bam Bam,” also were in the car.

Garcia-Mier was driving, the report said, and spotted Najera, who he said was from a rival gang.

The five got out of the car and “beat” Najera, the report said. They left and went to the 1700 block of Pacific Street, where “Bam Bam” got out of the car and someone named “Lucky” got in.

The group went back to find Najera, but only Lucky and Smiley got out of the car this time, police said. Smiley “struck Najera before shooting him,” the report said.

A Las Vegas police officer responding to the call about the fight spotted the tan Honda with what police described as five Hispanic male occupants that fit witness descriptions.

The officer began following the car, whose driver turned off the headlights, and when police caught up, the car was abandoned in a nearby neighborhood. The car had blood in its interior and on the exterior.

Police found Garcia-Mier and Cortes hiding in a neighborhood minutes later and were taken in for questioning, the report said. Garcia-Mier was arrested on a murder charge and Cortes was initially let go after questioning.

Cortes told detectives he didn’t beat Najera, the arrest report said.

When police were investigating an “unrelated crime” on Tuesday and talking to Salazar, Cortes walked up to him, the report said. Cortes was arrested on a juvenile warrant.

A homicide detective responded to the call and learned that Salazar had also been possibly involved in the shooting. He was also arrested on a juvenile warrant.

Metro declined to release mug shots of Cortes and Salazar because they are minors, spokesman Jesse Roybal said Friday.

No other arrests have been announced.

Cassandra Taloma contributed. Contact reporter Colton Lochhead at clochhead@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4638. Find him on Twitter: @ColtonLochead. Contact Ricardo Torres at rtorres@reviewjournal.com and 702-383-0381. Find him on Twitter: @rickytwrites.