Police: Brief exchange on RTC bus led to fatal shooting at next stop
A seemingly innocuous exchange between passengers on an RTC bus this month preceded a fatal shooting at a bus stop in Las Vegas, according to the suspect’s arrest report.
The quarrel escalated on the bus about 8 p.m. on Oct. 10 and led to an agreement among three male passengers to get off and fight, according to the Metropolitan Police Department arrest report.
But no sooner did the fight begin than John Kirby pulled out a gun and shot the victim after he threw a single punch on a sidewalk near Paradise Road and Sahara Avenue, the report stated.
Jettoni Zendel, 27, died at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center from a gunshot wound to the chest, police said.
Metro identified Kirby, 22, as the alleged gunman using facial recognition technology and through social media posts and a Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada pass that he used when he boarded the bus, police said.
He was in handcuffs four days later, booked on a murder count into the Clark County Detention Center without the possibility of bail, Las Vegas Justice Court records show. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Nov. 18.
The third passenger, only described as a “suspect in yellow,” wasn’t identified in the arrest report.
Police, who used bus surveillance video to piece together the incident, said Zendel loudly told the bus driver that he’d accidentally pressed the stop button, according to the report. “My bad,” he was quoted as saying.
The passenger in yellow broke out in laughter and a woman told Zendel to “walk.” When Zendel turned to look back, the third passenger told him “Don’t look at me,” police said.
That led to a discussion among the trio that led to an agreement to exit the bus andfight.
After determining Kirby’s identity, police said they found two public Facebook profiles that showed videos of him flashing guns and holding an identification card with his name on it, according to police.
Additionally, a pair of distinct tattoos on Kirby matched those of the suspected gunman captured on bus surveillance, police said.
The report did not provide details on Kirby’s arrest.
Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com. Follow @rickytwrites on Twitter.
