Father faces charge after self-inflicted gunshot kills boy, 5
The father of a 5-year-old boy who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head was arrested Tuesday on a charge of felony child endangerment, Las Vegas police said.
The Clark County coroner's office identified the victim as Giovanni Kopystenski, of Las Vegas.
Police said that about 8:45 p.m. Monday, the 5-year-old was in his father's car while waiting in a Walgreens drive-through lane at Durango Drive and Warm Springs Road. After he found a gun in the car, the boy sustained a single gunshot wound to the head. He was transported to University Medical Center, where he died about 1:25 a.m. Tuesday.
Alex Kopystenski, 31, was arrested on one count of felony child endangerment, according to Las Vegas police.
Kopystenski is a disc jockey who goes by the name DJ Lexo, according to his MySpace.com page. On the page, he describes himself as single and a "proud parent." The page also features a video of him performing and personal photos.
Two photos show what appears to be an Uzi submachine gun next to a cat on a bed.
Others show him with his son at an event for Barack Obama, the boy hoisted high on Kopystenski's shoulders.
"Don't miss out on a chance to be in ya kids life," he said in a blog posting on the MySpace page. "In the end u gonna be the one that misses out for real!! No matter if ya kid has a learning disability or whatever, be there and be ya kids hero."
He also describes himself as an 11th-grade dropout with a "PHD from the streets."
At his Rhodes Ranch home near Durango Drive and the Las Vegas Beltway, a woman who answered the door Tuesday night appeared upset and declined to speak about the shooting.
After the shooting, Kopystenski drove his son to Spring Valley Hospital Medical Center. Investigators interviewed the man and a friend at the hospital.
Police said the fatality remains under investigation.
Kopystenski was booked into the Clark County Detention Center and released Tuesday evening on $3,000 bail.
Contact reporter Maggie Lillis at mlillis @reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0279.
