Man shot to death in southwest valley Wednesday morning
A random knock at a southwest valley door left a man dead Wednesday morning, police said Wednesday.
As he shouted and pounded, the man was shot through that door by a man who thought the other man was trying to break in, Metro Lt. Dan McGrath told reporters at a press conference.
The shooting suspect and his girlfriend were home sleeping in their apartment inside building 20 at The Residence at Canyon Gate, 2200 Fort Apache Road, when they awoke to what they thought was an intruder just before 5 a.m.
McGrath said that as the woman called police, her boyfriend warned the man outside, who was using his shoulder to try and barge into the home, that he was armed.
When he refused to stop, the man shot him multiple times, killing him, police said.
The dead man was identified by police only as being white and in his 20s or 30s. He will be identified by the Clark County coroner's office.
McGrath could not say why the man was at the apartment, which is inside a gated complex surrounded by tall fencing, but speculated that he may have been under the influence.
Based on the 911 call, evidence at the scene and a neighbor's statement, McGrath says charges against the shooting suspect are unlikely now, but the case will be packaged and sent to the district attorney's office for evaluation.
"There's no indication that they know each other," McGrath said of the couple and the alleged intruder, who died at the scene.
This is the 129th homicide in Metro's jurisdiction this year, the agency wrote in a release. Anyone with information should contact Metro's homicide section at 702-828-3521 or, to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555.
Contact Kimberly De La Cruz at kdelacruz@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Find her on Twitter: @KimberlyinLV
