Damage is shown at a shrine to Guanyin, the Buddhist bodhisattva associated with compassion, at the Wat Buddha Pavana Buddhist temple in North Las Vegas Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2019. Authorities are continuing to investigate what prompted a man to set fires at the temple and shoot at a fleeing monk before killing himself Sunday night.
Published Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2019 | 3:07 p.m.
Updated Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2019 | 6:27 p.m.
A bright flash outside a North Las Vegas Buddhist temple Sunday night piqued the groundskeeper's attention. He went from getting ready for bed to running to extinguish a fire.
Or so he thought.
As he tried to douse the flames on the side of the building, an arsonist-turned-gunman took aim and shot rounds at him, said the groundskeeper, who only identified himself as Peter on Tuesday afternoon.
At least one of the bullets narrowly missed Peter, who showed how the round had welted a metal bar on one of the windows at the Thai Buddhist Temple-Las Vegas in the 2900 block of West Gowan Road.
As Peter hid outside, he wondered if his mother, friends and a monk who remained inside were being held hostage by multiple people — or if they were dead.
Since they’d heard four gunshots outside, Peter said, they wondered the same about him.
His mother barely escaped serious injury or death. Peter said she was standing near the temple’s entrance when the suspect — toting a red gasoline canister and a gun — entered. That’s when he shouted “I hate you” at her, and shot at her once, missing. Her son credits the temple being dark at that time of night for his mother not getting hit.
But then the suspect sparked a blaze at the entrance. A soot-covered door lay at the front of the temple Tuesday — the plastic of an exit sign was melted. A nearby clock was blackened by smoke.
Investigators were continuing to investigate what prompted the man to set fires at the temple and why he opened fire on seemingly random victims before killing himself, Officer Eric Leavitt said.
The suspect, Derek Debrowa, 38, of North Las Vegas, went on to start a house fire in a nearby neighborhood before he shot himself in a backyard, police said.
Police said investigators were serving search warrants and had seized computer and electronic items from the home where Debrowa lived with his parents.
Detectives didn’t want to speculate on a possible motive until the investigation was complete but believe Debrowa acted alone, Leavitt said.
North Las Vegas Police said they were handling the shooting investigation, while the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was investigating the fires.
Officers responded about 8 p.m. Sunday to reports of multiple fires and gunshots at the Thai Buddhist Temple-Las Vegas on Gowan, near Simmons Street, police said.
A man started two fires at the temple and shot toward a victim, who was among several people fleeing the building, police said. Nobody was injured, police said.
A prayer building on the religious campus was damaged, but firefighters quickly doused flames inside the doorway of the main temple.
As that was happening, firefighters were dispatched to the 3000 block of Logan Avenue — about a quarter-mile away — where the same person was suspected of starting a house fire, police said. Four people from 14 to 39 years old escaped unhurt from the home, officials said.
Debrowa’s body was found in a nearby backyard with the help of Metro Police, the FBI and ATF, authorities said.
A search of online court records showed that Debrowa did not have a criminal history in Clark County. He also didn’t appear to have a federal criminal history.
His parents notified police about 9 p.m. Sunday that he was missing, along with a handgun that they legally owned, Leavitt said. They also reported finding Debrowa’s clothes soaked in gasoline in their backyard, he said.
Debrowa was single, unemployed and spent most of his time on his computer, Leavitt said.
Members of the community continued showing up Tuesday to offer help. A Thai official flew from Los Angeles to do the same.
Peter said his community is tight-knit and he wasn’t afraid of an attack because they’re not harmful to anyone. People only show up to meditate.
About the attacker, he said he felt a sadness that he had taken his own life. But if that’s what he wanted to do, he shouldn’t have tried to harm anyone else.
Peter said he feels OK, at least for now. “I’m thinking to clean up all the mess.”
And he did just that, hauling off burned wooden items outside.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
