Man arrested in girl’s death

Will Bullins didn't think anybody would be caught in the killing of his 9-year-old daughter this month.

Not with Bullins' experiences growing up in Southern California.

"Where I come from, people get murdered often and nobody hardly ever gets arrested for it," he said Wednesday.

But hours earlier, North Las Vegas police arrested one man and named another as a suspect in Savannah Bullins' death. Both men have violent criminal backgrounds and were recently released from parole after serving time in prison.

Marcus Dewayne Larry, 27, was arrested Wednesday, and Kenneth Reid, 20, is at large and considered to be armed and dangerous, according to police.

Larry served time in prison for battery with a deadly weapon and trafficking in a controlled substance, according to the Nevada Department of Corrections. Reid served time for assault with a deadly weapon, a charge that was enhanced because the crime was gang-related.

Their status as parolees ended in April.

Will Bullins, 29, said he didn't know either man.

But police believe Bullins was the target of the June 12 attack at his two-story apartment on 2112 Sun Ave., near Civic Center Drive and Cheyenne Avenue.

In a hail of gunfire that night, Savannah was shot in the second-floor living room while playing with her younger sister. At least nine shots were fired; police believe one of the bullets went through a balcony wall and hit the girl.

"I can't really get her out of my mind," Bullins said after being informed of the arrest. "But knowing that they did apprehend someone and knowing that makes me feel better just knowing that some kind of justice is going to be served."

Savannah was laid to rest after a small ceremony June 18.

North Las Vegas police Sgt. Tim Bedwell said investigators believe the shooting was drug-related, a fact that Bullins disputed.

"It wasn't drug-related," he said. "It was nothing, really, just a couple of (expletives), really. I didn't know the guys, they didn't know me. We've never met."

The day after the shooting, Bullins worried that neighbors knew who committed the crime but wouldn't talk to police about it. Bedwell said people did come forward with information.

"There is a tendency to be able to get some information out of the community, even if it's a quiet community, when it's a child who's the victim," Bedwell said.

He praised the detectives who solved the case.

"This is a horrible crime, and these detectives were working full-on to figure out who did it," Bedwell said. "The Police Department definitely wanted this solved."

Savannah had driven up with her mother from California the week of the shooting and was going to stay with her father over the summer. Her family described her as a loving, caring girl who liked taking care of her younger siblings.

Bullins said he and his family haven't returned to the apartment since the day after the shooting and have been staying in a hotel until more permanent arrangements can be made.

Anybody with information on Reid's whereabouts is urged to call police at 633-9111 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 385-5555.

Contact reporter Lawrence Mower at lmower@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0440.