Metro Police today released a photo of a wanted suspect they say was involved in a Tuesday shooting at an east valley shopping center that injured three innocent bystanders and a man involved in the spat that preceded the gunfire.
The broad-daylight violence was initially described as a shootout, but detectives are exploring the possibility of there only being one shooter, Metro spokesman Officer Aden OcampoGomez said, noting that the information could change.
The initial investigation, however, turned up a second outstanding suspect, police said. The image purportedly shows one of the two wanted males inside a pawn shop where a possibly gang-related argument led to the broad-daylight shooting in the 300 block of Nellis Boulevard, near Stewart Avenue, police said.
As the dust settled after about 20 gunshots, a 10-year-old girl, her mother and a motorist, who was grazed by a bullet entered her car, as well as a man who was involved in the altercation that preceded the shooting, were injured, police said.
The four suffered injuries not deemed life-threatening, police said. The woman who was grazed refused medical care while the others self-transported to Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center.
The two suspects and a group of unidentified people got into some sort of altercation outside the Super Pawn, police said. One of the two suspects pulled out a gun and began firing at the group, which took off running as the man continued to shoot.
One of the men, who'd taken off running, was struck in the hip, police said. The wounded girl and her mother were in the shopping center parking lot, while the motorist who was grazed was heading north on Nellis. Multiple vehicles also were hit by bullets.
The suspects were described as black males between 16 and 25 years old, police said. One of them wore a white shirt and blue basketball shorts; the other a gray shirt and dark maroon pants.
Metro asked anyone with further information to contact its gang unit at 702-828-7826. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555 or crimestoppersofnv.com.