North Las Vegas police ID 17-year-old as suspect in boy’s death
A 17-year-old boy has been identified as a suspect in a shooting last week that left a 16-year-old boy dead in North Las Vegas, the Review-Journal has learned.
Clark County booking logs show Allen Griffin, 17, was certified as an adult and transferred Friday to the Clark County Detention Center on one felony count of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon in the death of Aneas David King.
Griffin was enrolled as a senior at Canyon Springs High School at the time of the shooting, according to a county school district spokesman.
According to Griffin’s arrest report, which was obtained by the newspaper Tuesday morning, the shooting happened during a Jan. 9 meeting near Coleman Street and San Miguel Avenue, south of West Craig Road, to arrange a drug deal.
When officers arrived about 4:50 p.m. that day, several people were surrounding Aneas, attempting CPR. He died less than an hour later at University Medical Center of a gunshot wound to his left arm.
In the roadway near the boy’s body was a black-and-silver airsoft handgun, and in the dirt nearby, police found one shell casing, according to the report.
Aneas’ friend, who was present at the time of the drug deal, told detectives that the pair acted as “middle men” for marijuana dealers. The friend, whose name is redacted the report, said the two did not keep marijuana in their possession but instead linked dealers with buyers.
Two days prior to the shooting, he told police, they received a message on Facebook from Griffin, who was looking to buy an ounce of marijuana for $140 after school. But the two were hesitant to meet Griffin because he has known gang ties, the report stated.
Aneas and his friend, bringing the airsoft gun with them as protection, ultimately agreed to meet Griffin at the corner of Coleman and San Miguel to give the suspect the dealer contact information while avoiding giving him an exact address to a home in the area, according to the report. It was not clear which of the two lived in the neighborhood because of redactions in the report.
Just before 4:50 p.m., Aneas and his friend met Griffin and an unidentified man on the street corner, the report stated. But, the friend told police, he forgot his phone containing the dealer’s phone number inside the house.
While inside looking for his phone, the report showed, he heard a single gunshot outside. When he ran back to the street corner, Griffin and the other man, along with an eighth of marijuana, were gone.
Detectives noted in the report that Aneas’ friend also picked Griffin out of a photo lineup.
Clark County School District police then assisted North Las Vegas detectives by providing a possible address for the boy. There, North Las Vegas police took Griffin into custody, but he declined an interview and requested an attorney, according to the report.
The person who was with Griffin has not yet been identified, and it remained unclear Tuesday whether he would face charges in Aneas’ death.
“He’s still outstanding and someone we are looking for,” said police spokesman Aaron Patty.
Aneas’ death was the latest in a recent string of gun violence in North Las Vegas that has claimed the lives of seven people younger than 20 since September, Review-Journal records show.
Griffin is being held without bail, and his arraignment is scheduled for Wednesday morning in North Las Vegas Justice Court, according to court records.
Contact Rio Lacanlale at rlacanlale@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Follow @riolacanlale on Twitter.
