Posted on: January 4, 2023, 04:00h.
Last updated on: January 4, 2023, 04:51h.
One man has died after an argument escalated into a shooting west of The Strat Hotel, Casino & SkyPod, located on the Las Vegas Strip on Tuesday night. It is believed to be an isolated crime.
The deadly shooting occurred in the 200 block of West Baltimore Avenue near Las Vegas Boulevard, very close to The Strat.
The dispute apparently started in a parking lot at an apartment complex. Several people were involved in the argument. Police didn’t say what sparked the argument.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) officers were notified at about 7:30 p.m. that gunshots had been heard. As officers arrived, an unnamed female eyewitness alerted police that her friend was wounded, KLAS, a local TV station, reported.
The woman took officers to the fallen man. EMTs responded, but the victim died in the lot.
The death is being investigated as a homicide. Police didn’t say if they have identified a suspect and, as of Tuesday night, no arrest was made in the case.
It’s likely the deceased victim will be given an autopsy. The unnamed person, who was described as being in his 30s, will be named, and the cause of death will be identified by the local coroner’s office.
Several shots were fired during the incident, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. Only one person was wounded, LVMPD Lt. Robert Price told KVVU, a local TV station.
Police searched the area for eyewitnesses and evidence. Officers spoke to several witnesses, the Review-Journal said.
Initially, police heard conflicting statements from the witnesses, the report said. Officers also likely viewed surveillance video from nearby buildings.
Other Strat-Linked Crime
Other crimes have taken place at or near The Strat. For instance, last month Lavontae Stuckey, 19, agreed to plead guilty to false imprisonment for a July 9, 2022 kidnapping of a sex worker, the Review-Journal reported.
Originally, he was charged with second-degree kidnapping for the July incident.
He allegedly abducted that woman at The Strat parking garage. He forced her to perform oral sex on him while in his car, the Review-Journal said. He pretended to have a firearm, police said.
In December, Stuckey allegedly sexually assaulted a different suspected sex worker in Las Vegas’ Orleans Hotel & Casino parking garage.
Also, a one-time baccarat dealer at The Strat casino appeared in court last May for allegedly cheating at the Las Vegas venue. She denied any wrongdoing. She was booked on a charge of cheating in a gambling establishment.
After being placed in jail, the suspect, identified as Ying Yu, was released from custody following a court appearance.
The Nevada Gaming Control Board suspected Yu may have been “dumping,” KLAS reported. That’s a method where a dealer acts “to fraudulently benefit the player,” court documents explained.