Man arrested in Sunday downtown shooting death linked to drugs

Drugs may have been the motive behind the Sunday slaying of a man near downtown Las Vegas, an arrest report revealed Tuesday.

Jose Lopez, 57, was arrested Monday in the shooting death of Juan Valdez, 55. Lopez was charged with murder with use of a deadly weapon.

According to the arrest report, Lopez told police that he was the driver and Valdez the passenger in a car parked at Fourth Street at Adams Avenue, near Las Vegas Boulevard and Washington Avenue, about 3:30 p.m. Sunday. Lopez had picked up Valdez at a bus station and was taking him to meet a drug dealer, the report says.

Lopez told police that Valdez got out of the car to meet the drug dealer, described by Lopez as a black man. The dealer then started firing a handgun at Valdez, Lopez said. Valdez retreated to the driver's side of the car as the shooter approached and fired another shot, the report states.

Lopez said he drove away, accidentally running over Valdez, the report states.

Witnesses told police the suspect was "white or a light-colored Hispanic man" and said the initial gunshots came from inside the car, with another shot fired after Valdez was pushed out of the car.

When Lopez was caught hours after the shooting, detectives found blood and cocaine inside the car, the report says.