Suspect in Mirage homicide appears in court
A man accused of fatally shooting his cousin and injuring two women in a hotel room at The Mirage was held without bail Saturday.
Billy Hemsley, 54, appeared in front of Hearing Master Daniel Westmeyer at the Las Vegas Justice Court for an initial arraignment. He faces one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder after he was arrested Friday.
Officers were initially called around 8:30 p.m. Thursday to Room 8020 of The Mirage where a man was found dead from multiple gunshot wounds. Two women who were shot multiple times were taken to University Medical Center in critical condition.
Detectives spoke to Hemsley, who said he and his cousin were play fighting when Hemsley pulled out a gun and shot the man before shooting his cousin’s daughter and her friend who were in the room as well, according to Hemsley’s arrest report. Police identified the victim as Acturius Dwayne Milner.
Nearly two decades ago, Hemsley pleaded guilty to aiming a firearm at another person after police said he shot a cousin named Aucturius Milner on Jan. 1, 2003, while two children were in the home on Walnut Road. It was unclear if the person shot in 2003 was the victim of Thursday night’s shooting.
Hemsley has a criminal record in Las Vegas dating to 2000, which also includes four prior battery cases, two attempted murder cases and several charges of impaired driving, according to court records.
He is being held without bail and is scheduled for a bail hearing Tuesday.
Contact Sabrina Schnur at sschnur@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0278. Follow @sabrina_schnur on Twitter.
