Man found guilty of firing on reality TV show crew

Carlos Enrique Barron told a jury Thursday he was scared and tired the night he fired his gun after a confrontation with crew members from a reality TV production.

But after hearing four days of evidence, including contradictory testimony from Barron and crew members from Spike TV’s “Repo Games,” the jury found Barron guilty of four of seven counts for the April 2011 shooting in which no one was injured.

Barron, a former teacher and brother of North Las Vegas city councilman Isaac Barron, was found guilty of felony assault with use of a deadly weapon, carrying a concealed weapon and burglary. He was also convicted of discharging a firearm, a gross misdemeanor.

District Judge James Bixler ordered Barron remanded into custody and set a hearing for next week when he will set bail for the defendant pending his sentencing hearing, which will also be set next week. He faces a sentence of probation or 1 to 21 years in prison.

Following Barron’s testimony and closing arguments by lawyers, the jury deliberated about three hours before delivering the verdict.

Prosecutor Mike Radovcic said he was pleased with the verdict because it showed Clark County residents are concerned when someone puts a neighborhood into jeopardy by shooting a gun.

Authorities said about 9:45 p.m. on April 25, 2011, Barron went outside his home in the 2900 block of Vigilante Court, near Azure Avenue and Losee Road, and fired three shots, believing the crew was trying to repossess his vehicle. The crew was actually looking for a different vehicle, but vans from the production were parked in front of Barron’s home.

Barron testified he fired only two shots in the air to warn off members of the production crew who were walking toward him and threatening him, contradicting earlier testimony that he fired three times.

He said he was awoken by an alarm for his Toyota FJ Crusier buzzing on his key chain. Concerned over recent car thefts and other criminal activity in his neighborhood, he dressed and walked outside armed with a 9mm Glock handgun.

He was also nervous after a confrontation he had with his daughter’s boyfriend over her pregnancy two days earlier, Barron said.

He saw two men walk away from his vehicle before an argument started with one of the men from the production crew who was sitting in the van.

Earlier witnesses said Barron reached into the van and slapped the crew member. But the defendant said he never tried to punch the man, he was only trying to keep the man from exiting the van because he was threatening Barron.

That’s when other members of the crew began threatening and cursing at him and he fired two shots in the air, Barron said. Crew members said they approached Barron trying to ease the situation.

Following the shooting, Barron said he took some Xanax and felt loopy. A standoff with police ensued. That ended with Barron being arrested after jumping over the wall in his backyard.

During closing arguments, Radovcic told the jury that Barron’s testimony contradicted the testimony of the crew members and video recordings of the shooting. Three gunshots can be heard on the video.

Radovcic said that after the crew fled or hid following the first two gunshots, Barron fired a third one into an empty Repo Games van and went back inside his home.

Defense lawyer Richard Tannery told the jury during his closing arguments they’d be right to convict Barron of one gross misdemeanor count of discharging a firearm, because he did.

Tannery said he didn’t have to prove where the third shot came from and asked the jury to believe Barron’s testimony and acquit him of the other charges.

Contact reporter Francis McCabe at fmccabe@review journal.com or 702-380-1039.