Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Metro investigates 139th homicide, 3 more than in 2015

Updated Monday, Oct. 24, 2016 | 11:02 a.m.

Click to enlarge photo

Steven Lewis

A shooting death possibly stemming from a love triangle spurred Metro Police's 139th homicide investigation this year — three more than in all of 2015.

Shots rang out as the slain man and suspect Steven Lewis, 33, fought inside a house in the 1300 block of Sun Point Drive shortly after 1 a.m., police said. Lewis was arrested near Jones Boulevard and Washington Avenue.

The Clark County Coroner's Office identified the victim as Rayvon Solomon, 28, whose city of residence was unknown. Hie died from a gunshot wound to the chest, the Coroner’s Office said.

Also according to police:

Officers found the man lying outside the house, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. An investigation determined that before the shooting, Lewis had confronted the man and a woman, whom both were dating, inside a restaurant.

Lewis went to the home and fought with the man. He left, then returned as officers were rendering medical aid.

Lewis was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on one count of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon, jail logs show.

Metro at this time last year had investigated 103 slayings, 36 fewer than this year — or about a 35 percent difference, statistics show.

Las Vegas' rise in homicides hasn't been attributed to a single cause. Despite the increase, the numbers have declined as the year has progressed. By the end of April, the number of homicides investigated by Metro were up 106 percent compared with the same time during the previous year. By late June, that number was down to about 50 percent, statistics show.

The U.S. has experienced a downward trend in homicides over the past 20 years, William Sousa, director of UNLV's Center for Crime and Justice Police, told the Sun this year. It isn't unusual to see numbers fluctuate in one- or two-year periods, he said. It might be to early to try to explain such anomalies, because it's difficult to analyze numbers in such short spans, Sousa added.

In an effort to curb the increase, Metro this year has implemented several initiatives that have included sending detectives from multiple details on patrol shifts and dispatching neighborhood engagement teams, which are sent to high-crime areas, according to police.

“It takes time," Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said this year. "Nothing happens overnight, and people need to have confidence that we’re doing the right thing.”

Metro Police’s homicide numbers for the past 10 years:

2006: 152 (11.5) homicides per 100,000 residents)

2007: 119 (8.87) homicides per 100,000 residents)

2008: 120 (8.87) homicides per 100,000 residents)

2009: 111 (8.05) homicides per 100,000 residents)

2010: 107 (7.55) homicides per 100,000 residents)

2011: 82 (5.62) homicides per 100,000 residents)

2012: 76 (5.13) homicides per 100,000 residents)

2013: 97 (6.46) homicides per 100,000 residents)

2014: 122 (7.97) homicides per 100,000 residents)

2015: 136 (8.75) homicides per 100,000 residents)

*2016: 139 (9.12) homicides per 100,000 residents)

Join the Discussion:

Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.

Full comments policy