Parties scenes of violence

Las Vegas police arrested one man and identified another suspect in separate shootings that left two 17-year-old girls dead over the weekend.

The Friday night and Sunday morning slayings both took place at house parties in east valley neighborhoods. In each case, the victim might have been an unintended target.

Friday night's victim, 17-year-old Jannet Sanchez, was in critical condition at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center until Sunday, when she died. The Eldorado High School senior was at a party at a house on the 2800 block of Beaconfalls Way , near Vegas Valley Drive and Nellis Boulevard.

Las Vegas homicide Lt. Lew Roberts said two groups were arguing outside a house. After one group left the scene in a vehicle, someone at the residence pointed an air rifle at the car, he said.

An unidentified suspect in the car, believing the air rifle to be a high-caliber firearm, fired a weapon at the residence about 8:45 p.m. Sanchez was struck in the head, he said.

Roberts said police have identified the gunman and are submitting their investigation results to the district attorney.

"This is an example of not using common sense, from both groups," Roberts said.

Police arrested 19-year-old Alexander Nestor Portillo in Sunday's early morning slaying at a house on Clancy Street, near Nellis Boulevard and Carey Avenue. Priscilla Castillo-Roque, 17, died after she was shot in the head.

According to Portillo's arrest report, officers arrived at the residence to find Castillo-Roque near the front entrance with a single gunshot wound. She was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead, the report says.

Witnesses told police there had been a birthday party at the residence that night. When a fight began outside, Portillo, who lived at the house with his family, fired a shotgun into the air to try to end the fight, the report states.

Portillo then entered the house and went to his upstairs bedroom, which is directly above the entrance, the report says. While in the bedroom, he fired the shotgun a second time, blasting a hole into the floor, according to witness accounts. Castillo-Roque, who was directly underneath Portillo's bedroom, was struck in the head, the report says.

According to the report, Portillo fled the house with a shotgun and a box of money. He was later found by police hiding at a residence on Rita Circle, about a mile from his house.

Police found shotgun ammunition in Portillo's room, along with marijuana, scales and bags, the report says.

During an interview with police, Portillo declined to speak with detectives and appeared annoyed at the questions, the report says.

He was arrested on charges of murder with a deadly weapon, discharge of a firearm in a structure, unlawful possession of a firearm and discharge of a weapon where a person might be endangered.

Review-Journal reporter Lawrence Mower contributed to this story. Contact reporter Mike Blasky at mblasky@
reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0283.