Suspect in shooting at school bus stop to return to Nevada

A teenager wanted in connection with a shooting at a Las Vegas school bus stop that wounded six young people agreed Friday to return to Nevada without a legal fight.

Nicco Tatum, 18, was arrested in Denver on Wednesday when he got off a Greyhound bus from Las Vegas. Authorities believe he was bound for Chicago, and U.S. marshals tipped authorities in Colorado that he would change buses in Denver.

At a brief court hearing Friday, Tatum said he would not resist efforts to return him to Las Vegas, where he faces six counts of attempted murder with a deadly weapon and six counts of battery with a deadly weapon.

Tatum said only "yes" and "no" as he answered Denver County Court Judge Melvin Okamoto's questions. He wore thin green prison garb and slumped his head forward when he walked.

Tatum is one of two people suspected of opening fire on a crowd near the bus stop at Alexander and Walnut roads Tuesday afternoon.

Las Vegas police were following new leads in their search for the second gunman, said Capt. Kirk Primas of the Gang Crimes Bureau.

"We're just getting some really good stuff," he said.

Detectives traveled to Denver late Thursday to interview Tatum, who Primas said is a member of the Wood gang.

Six young people were shot in the hail of bullets, including four students from Mojave High School. Detectives believe the shooting stemmed from an accidental bump between Tatum and student David Macias the day before at the bus stop. Macias told police Tatum punched him when he tried to apologize.

On Tuesday, Macias called several friends to protect him from Tatum and his group of friends. Macias told police Tatum began walking toward him when the gunfire started, a police report said.

Macias and at least two of his friends, Michael Sardinas and Daniel Jimenez, were shot. They were treated at University Medical Center and released, as was Mojave student Jesica Garcilazo.

Alexander Rios, 18, and Mark Smith, 17, have been recovering at UMC from more serious wounds.

Rios, who was shot in the torso, remains in fair condition, hospital administrators report.

Smith is doing better every day, said his father, Calvin Smith. He expects his son, who was shot in the stomach, to be at the hospital through next week. A portion of the young man's small intestine was surgically removed Tuesday night after the shooting. The Mojave senior is walking but still in some pain.

As the victims continue to recover, so do the school and its students, said Mojave principal Charity Varnado. The shooting helped the administration realize that students need help coping with the violence they see in their neighborhood so that they can make positive choices.

"Even as adults we all deal with issues and problems," Varnado said. "It's how we cope with them, how we approach them, deal with them, that matters."

The school hopes to give teachers additional materials and training to help them work with students on problem-solving and to bring in more speakers from the community to share their personal experiences with students next semester.

"Things are finally getting back to normal," Varnado said. "Today was very quiet, a very pleasant day for the kids."

Friday was the first day that swarms of media were not on the North Las Vegas campus, and additional security is becoming less visible, she said.

After Tuesday's shooting there was an increased police presence at Mojave and at nearby Canyon Springs High School. School police had partnered with North Las Vegas and Las Vegas police throughout the week to make sure that students on campus and in the nearby community stayed safe.

There were six to eight officers on Mojave's campus at all times. Typically there are only two, said Lt. Ken Young of the Clark County School District Police. Police also were stationed around the community at bus stops, he said.

With things calming down, Young doesn't think that as many officers will be present next week. The department will continue to monitor the situation carefully and add personnel as needed, he said.

"Everybody is going back to normal," Young said. "Law enforcement, the kids, the neighborhood, everything is calming down."

Associated Press writer George Merritt contributed to this report. Contact reporter Beth Walton at bwalton.com or (702) 383-0279. Contact reporter Brian Haynes at (702) 383-0281.