Child, 7, fires shot into truck

A young boy fired a 9mm handgun into an unoccupied vehicle while waiting for a bus to take him to Ries Elementary School early Friday morning.

About 45 schoolchildren were waiting at the school bus stop near Misty Haze Street and Wigwam Avenue in the southwest valley when the shot was fired, but no one was injured, said Sgt. Darnell Couthen of the Clark County School District police.

Couthen said a 7-year-old boy took the gun, which was reported stolen, from his home and showed it to another 7-year-old boy, who fired the weapon.

The bus driver contacted police after learning about the incident from the children.

The boys were too young to be taken into custody, but were kept out of school for the day. A law enforcement official said Nevada law doesn't allow children under 8 to be charged with a crime.

School police hadn't recommended any charges be filed as of late Friday.

Parents picking up their children Friday afternoon at the intersection where the shooting occurred shared their fear and disbelief that the boy got a hold of a gun and fired.

Mike Phillips, whose 7-year-old daughter attends Ries, said she will no longer take the bus to school because he fears for her safety.

He said the shooter and the person who had possession of the gun share the blame.

"There is nothing wrong with bearing arms," Phillips said. "But you have to know how to lock them up."

Phillips was angry that the boy won't face criminal prosecution.

"Why didn't they take him to juvenile?" he said, referring to juvenile detention. "They need to change the law."

Rosalva Gaglio said the shot hit the driver's-side window of her husband's industrial truck. Gaglio said in Spanish that she and her husband were dropping off their 8-year-old boy at the bus stop when they heard the gunshot and saw the window get hit.

She said the shooter was near the gated entrance of the Sunset Pass neighborhood when the shot rang out.

She said she ducked and then searched for where the shot came from. She said she didn't know the shooter's name.

A handful of parents who spoke with the Las Vegas Review-Journal either said they didn't know the shooter's name or refused to identify him.

Gaglio said her family lives in the neighborhood and that her husband parks the truck outside the gated community because it's not allowed inside.

The truck was on the north side of Wigwam facing west when the window was shot out. Shattered glass was visible on the dirt on the side of the road Friday.

Tien Ellis, who has two children ages 7 and 8 who attend Ries, said she and her kids were late to the bus stop and arrived shortly after the shooting.

Despite their luck, she said she and her family were spooked.

"It was horrifying because my kids could have gotten shot," she said. "I could have gotten shot."

Contact reporter Antonio Planas at aplanas@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4638. Contact reporter James Haug at jhaug@reviewjournal.com or 702-799-2922.