Lee Wilson
A man accused of opening fire during a shooting at a Las Vegas hookah lounge that left a man dead and 13 others wounded was ordered to remain in jail, with the presiding judge citing the man’s several felony convictions and dozens of arrests dating back to 1995.
Lee Wilson, 44, appeared before Judge Joe Bonaventure in Las Vegas Justice Court, where he was read charges including one count of open murder and 12 counts of attempted murder.
Wilson’s attorney, Josh Tomsheck, told the court he would file a motion to seek bail by the end of the day, though a potential hearing was not scheduled.
Bonaventure cited Wilson’s 82 arrests in the Las Vegas area and nine prior felony convictions, that included a previous attempted murder charge as well as the poisoning of an animal.
Tomsheck, who declined to comment on his client’s charges, was appointed after the public defender’s office disclosed that the man who died after the shooting — 33-year-old Demetreus Beard — was once a client and thus a conflict of interest.
Wilson was arrested by Metro Police on Tuesday and booked at the Clark County Detention Center where he remains. Police say the shooting happened about 3:15 a.m. Saturday at Manny’s Glow Ultra Lounge and Restaurant, 953 E. Sahara Ave.
The lounge was hosting a private party when an altercation between two men broke out, police said. The men exchanged gunfire and fled before officers arrived, according to police.
The investigation is ongoing, and additional arrests are expected, police said. Barring a change in Wilson’s bail status, he’s expected to appear again for a preliminary hearing March 17.
Wilson, who was at times emotional and was bound to a wheelchair during Thursday’s hearing, told Bonaventure he himself was injured during the shooting.
“I was shot six times too, sir,” he said.