Jan. 21, 2014 Homicide at Tropicana and Rainbow
594 views · Published 31 January 2014 · 2:49 · Indexed 26 October 2026
Channel: Las Vegas Metropolitan Police · 2014 · News & Politics
On January 21, 2014 at approximately 5:14 p.m. the LVMPD Dispatch Center received a call reporting possible shots fired near the intersection of South Rainbow Boulevard and West Tropicana Avenue. The caller stated there were multiple shots heard but nothing seen. At approximately 5:17 p.m. the Dispatch Center received several calls reporting an automobile accident near the same intersection. Arriving patrol officers discovered a white Buick sedan that had hit two other vehicles and had come to a stop on Tropicana Avenue on the eastbound sidewalk just west of the intersection. The vehicle had what appeared to be multiple bullet holes in the passenger side and the adult male driver of the vehicle had suffered an apparent gunshot wound to his right upper body. The unresponsive driver was transported by arriving medical personnel to the UMC Trauma Center where he was later pronounced deceased. Officers also discovered two young children in the back seat of the vehicle who were uninjured. An investigation initiated by the LVMPD Homicide Section indicated the victim's vehicle had been stopped at a red light in the westbound lanes of Tropicana Avenue when a dark colored compact car, which was reportedly speeding and driving in a reckless manner, pulled up and stopped on the passenger side of the victim's vehicle. Witnesses reported the victim and the driver of the dark colored sedan engaged in a verbal altercation before the driver of the dark colored sedan produced a handgun and fired multiple shots towards the victim vehicle. The suspect vehicle then continued westbound through the intersection and fled the scene. The two children in the back seat of the victim's vehicle were the children of the victim and were released to a family member. The suspect vehicle could only be described as an unknown make or model dark colored compact sedan and the driver could only be described as a white male adult. It is unknown at this time if this crime was the result of road rage or was the result of an earlier incident. The identity of the victim as well as the cause and manner of death will be released by the Clark County Coroner's Office. Anyone with any information about this crime is urged to contact the LVMPD Homicide Section at 828-3521, or to remain anonymous contact Crime Stoppers by phone at 385-5555 or on the internet at www.crimestoppersofnv.com.
