Teen dies in house party shooting; suspects wanted
A teenage boy was fatally shot during a birthday gathering at an apartment complex near Nellis Boulevard and Sahara Avenue early today, Las Vegas police said.
The teenager, whose identity was not released, was celebrating his upcoming 14th or 15th birthday, said Lt. Lew Roberts.
Police were called to the Safari Luxury Apartments about 1:22 a.m. after shots were fired. Police discovered the juvenile with multiple gunshot wounds in front of an apartment.
Roberts said three young men wearing white T-shirts and dark clothing were at the party. One of them brandished a weapon, causing partygoers and the teenage victim to flee.
“He was shot in the back,” Roberts said of the victim.
The boy was transported to University Medical Center where he died. The male suspects are between the ages of 17 and 19, police said. No arrests had been made as of this afternoon. The suspects might have been gang members but the victim was not, Roberts said.
Roberts said juveniles might have been drinking at the party. There appeared to be a lack of adult supervision. It’s unknown if the victim lived at the complex. Several residents who spoke to the Review-Journal did not know who the victim was.
Roberts said parents need to know where their children are so late at night.
“Nothing good happens after midnight,” he said.
Two Las Vegas police detectives were at the complex looking for witnesses this afternoon. Residents at the complex said teens gathered in a courtyard by a jungle gym before shots were fired. Residents said they heard between two and three shots. One resident said a group that sounded like five or six teens came together at 10:30 p.m. The party increased in volume before the shooting happened.
“You can’t mistake it when you hear it,” said one resident, a woman who asked to remain anonymous. “It’s loud. It’s piercing. It was a gunshot.”
Contact reporter Antonio Planas at aplanas@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4638.
Anyone with information regarding this shooting is asked to contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at 385-5555 or Las Vegas police’s Homicide Section at 828-3521.
