Two men shot in the head

Two men were shot in the head Friday afternoon near Tropicana Avenue and Fort Apache Road after a dispute with a third man, Las Vegas police said.

The incident was at first thought to be road rage related because it began with reports of two vehicles driving erratically near Charleston Boulevard and the Las Vegas Beltway.

The driver of one of the vehicles drove himself and a passenger to the hospital after both had been shot, said officer Ramon Denby, a spokesman with the Metropolitan Police Department.

"The two guys showed up with gunshot wounds to the head," Denby said.

A third man was treated for injuries near the Tropicana-Fort Apache intersection and was detained for questioning.

"He is a person of interest," Denby said.

The incident started around noon when police began receiving calls about two vehicles being driven erratically.

Police next received a report of a shooting near the Beltway and Flamingo Road, Denby said.

Shortly afterward, the driver of one of the two vehicles called police and said he and his passenger had been shot and were headed in the vehicle to St. Rose Dominican Hospital, San Martin campus.

The men were both injured so severely that they were taken by helicopter to University Medical Center's Trauma Center, Denby said.

One of the men was in "bad, bad shape" Friday night, said Lt. Lew Roberts.

The condition of the second man who was taken to UMC wasn't available late Friday.

Roberts said the incident had stemmed from "a dispute of some sort" between the victims and another man.

"They were definitely familiar with each other," he said.

Police did not release the names of any of the parties involved.

The victims' vehicle was being examined by police Friday.

Roberts said further details about the incident would be released today.

"We're trying to sort through all the facts and circumstances of the event before we put more out there," he said.

All three of the men involved were in their 20s or 30s, Denby said.

Contact reporter Lynnette Curtis at lcurtis@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0285.