Police: Man shoots woman, child before killing himself

By Kailyn Brown

Published Friday, Oct. 2, 2015 | 8:56 a.m.

Updated Friday, Oct. 2, 2015 | 5:53 p.m.

A man fatally shot a neighbor and snatched her young son before responding officers found the gunman and the boy dead in the man's home south of the Las Vegas airport, according to Metro Police.

The incident unfolded about 7 a.m. today in the 7200 block of Hardtack Circle, near East Warm Springs and Paradise roads, after a 9- or 10-year-old girl ran to another house and told a neighbor someone had just shot her mother, Lt. Dan McGrath said. Officers found the woman inside the entryway of the house and rescued a boy, about 2 or three years old, who was not harmed, police said.

But the man apparently kidnapped another child about 7 or 8 years old and took him to his house two doors down, where police later heard gunshots, police said.

Police treated it as a hostage situation until they forced their way into the house, which had boarded-up windows, and found the man and child dead, McGrath said. Police have not yet identified the suspect, a man in his 40s, or either of the victims.

Detectives believe the suspect went to the residence of the woman, who was with her three children, and shot the woman when she answered the door before taking the boy, police said. The suspect, who might have had disputes with the woman, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.

“We’re trying to put all this together now,” McGrath said. “It’s unbelievable. It’s gruesome to have a young child murdered. We’re trying to comfort the family.”

No shots were fired by police, and a motive for the shootings wasn’t immediately clear, Officer Larry Hadfield said. Police were investigating the relationship among the deceased.

CeCe Navarette, who lives in the neighborhood, said she has seen the suspect in the past and that he was someone she knew to stay away from.

“He’s just a strange character,” she said. “He digs at night with a shovel. I didn’t know what he was digging.”

“I don’t even think it has registered with me yet,” Navarette said of the shootings.

Another neighbor, Darron Alvarado, said he knew the family of the woman and boy who were slain, and knew the gunman by the name Joe. He said the man lived alone and did yard work for neighbors up and down the block.

"People let him in their backyards," Alvarado, 22, said. "He'd borrow tools whenever he pleased. That's how much they trusted him."

McGrath said grief counselors were counseling family members and investigators were talking with neighbors and the first officers and paramedics to arrive to pin down the chain of events.

The incident remains under investigation. Police are asking anyone with information on the motives of the suspect to call the homicide section at 702-828-3521 or to email [email protected]. To remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555 or visit crimestoppersofnv.com.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.