Warrant issued for suspect in fatal shooting ‘over money owed’

An arrest warrant has been issued for a suspect in a fatal shooting Wednesday night stemming from a fight over money, the Las Vegas Review-Journal has learned.

Ruben Tavarez is charged with one count of murder with a deadly weapon, according to Las Vegas Justice Court records. The warrant for his arrest was granted on Thursday, the records show, though as of Friday morning, Las Vegas police homicide Lt. Ray Spencer said, Tavarez remained at large.

Court records show that Tavarez is a convicted felon and was on probation when the shooting occurred. He has a history of arrests in Las Vegas dating to 2006, according to the records, and was convicted in Clark County of conspiracy to commit a crime in 2016 and illegal possession of a firearm in September.

In December, he was sentenced to up to three years probation in the weapons case. The conditions of his probation included staying out of trouble and forfeiting all weapons.

Police have said that the shooting took place around 9:35 p.m. Wednesday at a central valley home on the 2100 block of Houston Drive, near Eastern Avenue and Charleston Boulevard, during an argument between two family members “over money owed.”

A man was found dead in the backyard of the home when officers arrived.

The Clark County coroner’s office will release the man’s name once his family has been notified of his death, which marked the 43rd homicide investigation this year in the county and the 25th investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department, according to records maintained by the Review-Journal.

Anyone with information may contact Metro’s homicide section at 702-828-3521, or to remain anonymous, Crime Stroppers at 702-385-5555.

Contact Rio Lacanlale at rlacanlale@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Follow @riolacanlale on Twitter.