Man fatally shot, becomes 9th homicide victim this week
A man was fatally shot Saturday morning behind a west Las Vegas business, becoming the ninth person killed this week in the Las Vegas Valley.
The death marked the second week in a row that nine people were killed in the valley during homicides and fatal police shootings, according to records maintained by the Review-Journal.
Two of the cases investigated by law enforcement this week resulted in multiple fatalities: A Henderson shooting left four people dead after a man shot and killed two women and took a boy hostage, and a 26-year-old woman was arrested in connection with the death of her two children.
Police began investigating the latest homicide when Metropolitan Police Department officers received a notification of six gunshots about 7 a.m. Saturday from ShotSpotter, a gunshot detection system used by the department, homicide Lt. Ray Spencer said. Officers found a man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds and lying behind a business on the 3200 block of Wynn Road, near Desert Inn Road.
The man was taken to University Medical Center, where he died, Spencer said. Police were searching for two suspects in the man’s death, and a witness who saw the men “from a distance” said they were 20 to 30 years old, Spencer said.
Detectives had not identified a motive as of Saturday morning.
Spencer said the scene was in a semi-industrial, commercial area with numerous auto businesses. A mechanic shop and apartment complex stood across the crime scene tape blocking off a strip mall on Saturday morning.
“Right now we’re canvassing and looking for video, and hopefully as the businesses open this morning we’re able to get some video that will piece this case together for us,” Spencer said.
In a statement Sunday afternoon, police said “the victim was approached by two adult males, one of them took out a firearm and shoots the victim. … The suspects have not been identified and the homicide investigation remains ongoing.”
Tuesday homicides
The violent week began Tuesday morning, when police said 39-year-old Lamique Wash was shot and killed by her boyfriend at the Sunset Canyon Apartments, 9700 W. Sunset Road. Spencer said detectives believe Wash and her “long-term boyfriend” were having an argument over her car keys and, during the argument, he shot her multiple times before fleeing the complex.
It was unclear Saturday if police had arrested a suspect in Wash’s death.
About 11 a.m. Tuesday, Henderson Police Department officers were called to The Douglas at Stonelake Apartments, 1445 Stonelake Cove Ave., after someone reported hearing gunshots and seeing a person with a gunshot wound, police said.
When police arrived, 38-year-old Jason Bourne was holding a 12-year-old boy at gunpoint in a nearby parked car. Witnesses told the Review-Journal that police shot into the car while Bourne and the child were inside, and both died after the gunfire rang out.
The department said that Bourne was holding a gun to the 12-year-old’s head and that he fired shots while inside the vehicle. But it remained unclear Saturday if police or Bourne shot first, or if Bourne shot and killed the boy.
The Clark County coroner’s office identified the boy as Joseph Hawatmeh and said he died at the scene from gunshot wounds to the head and chest.
The two women found dead at the complex were 38-year-old Dianne Hawatmeh, of Henderson, and 33-year-old Veronica Muniz, of Las Vegas, the coroner’s office said. They both died of a gunshot wound to the head.
Bourne is also suspected of injuring a 16-year-old girl, who was identified by friends of the Hawatmeh family as Dianne Hawatmeh’s daughter, Yasmeen. She was hospitalized in stable condition as of Wednesday night.
Police believe Bourne lived in the apartment above the Hawatmeh’s unit, but it remained unclear Saturday if police had identified a motive in the killings.
The department has identified seven officers who were involved in the police shooting: Jesse Hehn, James Pendleton, Philip Duffy, Brett Anderson, Jesse Lujan, Seth Price and Luis Amezcua. They have been placed on paid administrative leave while police investigate their conduct during the shooting.
Friday homicides
About 12:50 a.m. Friday, Las Vegas police were called to the 6100 block of Scarlet Leaf Street, near West Patrick Lane and Durango Drive, after a report of a man shot and another stabbed, Spencer said.
The man who was shot died at the scene, and the man who was stabbed was hospitalized and was expected to survive, Spencer said.
Detectives believe the men were roommates, and the man who was shot was “using drugs and was acting irrational,” Spencer said. The roommate shot the man after he attacked him with a knife.
As of Friday, police did not plan to arrest the man who was stabbed, Spencer said.
About 12 hours later, a father called 911 after he came home to his apartment on the 1000 block of Sierra Vista Drive, near Desert Inn Road and Maryland Parkway, to find his two children dead, Spencer said.
The 2-month-old and 1-year-old were pronounced dead at the scene, and the babies’ mother, 26-year-old Amanda Sharp-Jefferson, was arrested on suspicion of murder.
Spencer said Friday that it was too early in the investigation to determine if the woman suffered from a mental illness, but he said he “would definitely not rule that out.”
It was unclear how the children died.
They will be identified by the Clark County coroner’s office, which will also determine their cause and manners of death.
Further information about Sharp-Jefferson’s arrest was not available.
Anyone with information about the homicides can contact Metro at 702-828-3521. Henderson police can be contacted at 702-267-4911, and anonymous tips can be left with Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555.
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Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.
