Mother wounded at casino

A woman was shot and seriously injured Monday while dropping off her children with their father, who was arrested in connection with the shooting.

Las Vegas police did not identify the shooter or the victim.

Police received a report of a shooting in the parking lot of the Gold Spike about 12:35 p.m., Lt. Lew Roberts said.

He said the woman was sitting in a car with her two children, her new boyfriend and a man who was her ex-husband or ex-boyfriend. It was a regular meeting to pass off custody of the children, Roberts said.

An argument ensued and she was shot "at least once" in the head. She was taken to University Medical Center in "very critical condition," Roberts said.

The new boyfriend and several bystanders subdued the shooter until police arrived.

"He was taken into custody by some good citizens and some security personnel," Roberts said. "We're lucky."

No one else was injured.

The children were put in the care of county Child Protective Services.

Police would not discuss what the argument was about.

Lisa Brown of Las Vegas was checking into the Gold Spike with a friend when the commotion started outside. They ran to the parking lot, and Brown carried one of the victim's children into the casino.

"She was crying. She was really confused and scared," Brown said. "I took her inside and tried to keep her as calm as possible."

Gold Spike employees watched the children, and David Bulthuis, one of the casino's security guards, was among those who held the suspect for police, said Michael Crandall, director of business affairs for The Siegel Group, which owns the Gold Spike.

The casino is in the midst of a significant remodeling. Crandall said the parties in the shooting were not casino customers.

"We're putting a lot of money into the place to clean it up and clean up the area around it," he said. "This had nothing to do with the Gold Spike."

Contact reporter Alan Choate at achoate@reviewjournal.com or 702-229-6435.