Man fatally shot while sleeping in Las Vegas apartment
A man was shot to death in his sleep early Thursday after three men forced their way into an apartment west of the Strip.
Just before 2:45 a.m., a woman called 911 to report that a man had been shot inside a unit at the Viridian Apartments, 4255 W. Viking Road, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.
Metro initially reported that the man had been shot in the parking lot of the complex, located near South Arville Street and West Flamingo Road.
But homicide investigators later determined that the man was asleep inside an apartment when there was a knock at the door. A woman also inside the apartment answered the door to find three men wearing hoodies.
Police said they pushed past the woman and into the apartment, at which point one of them shot the sleeping man.
The trio, believed to be in their 20s, were seen running from the complex.
No other details were released Thursday, including a possible motive.
The complex was blocked off by yellow crime tape for at least eight hours for the investigation.
Around 8:30 a.m., dozens of elementary school students began emerging from apartment units to wait for the school bus, many of them running past investigators to get to their bus stop.
As they waited for the bus, some of the children ran in circles playing tag — until a few curious kids noticed a body bag was being placed into the back of a white mortuary van.
The man who was killed will be identified by the Clark County coroner’s office after his family has been notified. This marked Metro’s 79th homicide investigation this year, according to Review-Journal records.
Anyone with information about the shooting may call Metro’s homicide section at 702-828-3521 or, to remain anonymous, Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555.
Contact Rio Lacanlale at rlacanlale@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Follow @riolacanlale on Twitter. Review-Journal staff writer Marvin Clemons contributed to this report.
