Court records detail Las Vegas-Henderson crime spree that left 2 dead

A California man carried out a three-day string of robberies and shootings last week in Las Vegas and Henderson that left two men dead, police said in court documents released Tuesday.

Police have accused John Anthony Carrillo, 29, of six separate crimes starting June 29 and culminating in two fatal shootings on Thursday, according to documents released by the Las Vegas and Henderson justice courts.

The Clark County coroner’s office identified those slain as Ruben Garcia, 36, and Abraham Acosta, 32. Garcia was shot and killed Thursday morning at a home near Oakey Boulevard and Eastern Avenue, and Acosta was fatally shot more than 12 hours later in Henderson, at a gas station near Silverado Ranch Boulevard and Maryland Parkway, police have said.

Crime spree

In an interview with police after his arrest, Carrillo said he had brought 27.5 grams of methamphetamine to Las Vegas from California. He also admitted to smoking 5 grams of methamphetamine, the report said.

The series of crimes started about 8:30 p.m. June 29, when Carrillo approached a man putting air in his tires at a U.S. Tire Center at 1301 E. Charleston Blvd., according to an arrest report. Carrillo asked for a ride and, after the man said no, climbed into his car with an unidentified woman and drove off.

Police also linked Carrillo to a gas station robbery and a shooting that happened the next night, the report said.

At about 8:50 p.m. Wednesday, a man with a black shirt covering part of his face and duct tape on his eyebrows and elbows attempted to rob a 702 Mart at 1468 E. Charleston Blvd., the report said. The cashier said the man, later identified by police as Carrillo, pointed a gun at her, then fired it into a nearby cigarette display case.

About an hour and a half later, Carrillo shot a man in the face in the Palm Market convenience store at 3411 E. Charleston Blvd., a little over 2 miles away from the 702 Market, the report said. He was wearing the same clothes from the earlier robbery and still had duct tape on his arms and face, police said.

Carrillo arrived at the convenience store in a stolen Hyundai, and police found a COVID-19 vaccination card inside the car with his name on it, the report said.

Thursday killings

On Thursday morning, Carrillo arrived at Garcia’s home on the 1700 block of Euclid Avenue while Garcia was making pancakes with his girlfriend, the report said. The man began demanding money from Garcia, who gave him the keys to his Nissan Altima.

The man ordered Garcia’s girlfriend into a bedroom. She then told police she heard a gunshot and called 911 after Carrillo drove away in the Nissan, the report said.

Garcia’s death was ruled a homicide due to a gunshot wound of the head, the coroner’s office said.

Police also linked Carrillo to an attempted robbery that happened about 10:40 p.m. Thursday at a AM-PM gas station at 4161 St. Rose Parkway.

An hour later, Carrillo fatally shot a man at a 7-Eleven gas station at 10540 S. Maryland Parkway, about 3 miles away from the AM-PM station, the report said.

Video surveillance showed Acosta approaching Carrillo, who was in the driver’s seat of the Nissan. The footage showed Acosta “apparently providing a lighter for a cigarette” when Carrillo shot him in the face and drove away, the report said.

Acosta was pronounced dead at the scene from a gunshot wound to the head, the coroner’s office said.

Las Vegas police found and arrested Carrillo about 15 minutes later as he was leaving a Walgreens near the scene of the Henderson shooting.

Felony charges

In an interview with police, Carrillo admitted to being at Garcia’s home but denied shooting him. He also denied that he had a gun with him.

“At a point in the interview, Carrillo stated there was no point for him to tell the truth and to just deny everything,” the report said.

Carrillo faces 21 felony charges, including two counts of murder and attempted murder, three counts of robbery and attempted robbery, four counts of burglary and kidnapping and three counts of assault with a deadly weapon, according to Las Vegas Justice Court records.

He also faces charges of burglary and attempted robbery in Henderson Justice Court, according to online records.

Carrillo remained in the Clark County Detention Center on Tuesday, where he was being held without bail, jail records show. He was scheduled to appear in both courts on Wednesday morning.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.