Shooting suspect’s wife told police of burglaries

The wife of a North Las Vegas man arrested after shooting two car burglars told police the couple's home had been broken into in the past, an arrest report released Friday said.

James Bulah, 60, was charged with two counts of battery with a deadly weapon in the Sunday morning incident outside his home on the 4500 block of Shannon Jean Court, near Craig Road and Fifth Street.

One of the men, Arturo Namez, 36, was booked Tuesday on auto burglary and possessing burglary tools charges after being released from University Medical Center, where he was treated after being shot. The second man was identified in Namez's arrest report as Ivan Duenas.

North Las Vegas police spokeswoman Chrissie Coon wouldn't identify Duenas by name but said the second suspect remained in critical condition Friday at UMC. He was expected to be charged if he recovers, she said.

The incident began about 5:45 a.m. when Bulah came out of his house with a rifle and fired on two burglars, who fled in a gold Chevrolet Silverado, according to the arrest report.

Police found the suspects after they crashed into a brick wall less than a block away.

Under Nevada law, people can use deadly force to protect themselves or others in life-threatening situations, but the law does not allow the use of deadly force to reclaim property.

Bulah's wife, Helen, told police their car had been burglarized in the past.

Bulah initially refused to talk to police about the shooting and requested a lawyer, but he changed his mind and told investigators he went outside after grabbing his gun, the report said.

He saw one of the men, told him to stop, then saw something in his hand. That's when he fired two rounds, the report said.

The report said he never told police he feared for his or anyone else's life.

According to Namez's arrest report, police found a pair of bolt cutters in the getaway vehicle. Namez also told investigators in a hospital interview that "they were driving around looking for stuff to steal," the report said.

Bulah's arrest stirred echoes of the February 2009 arrest of Victor Park, a pawnshop owner charged with killing a fleeing thief who took a Cartier watch from his store. Thomas Cola, 21, was unarmed when he was shot in the back.

A grand jury indicted Park on murder charges, but he pleaded not guilty. The case is expected to go to trial this year.