Family of slain son offers reward for leads in killing

A Las Vegas family is hoping money will break through a wall of silence protecting the killers who fatally shot their son last month in a Van Patten Street apartment.

Ronnie Cook Pradon Jr.'s parents are offering $5,000 for information leading to an arrest in the case in addition to a $1,000 reward already put up by Secret Witness.

Metro Police homicide investigators have little beyond a sketchy description of two men with bandanas over their faces and guns in hand who forced their way into an apartment in the 2600 block of Van Patten, near Sahara Avenue and Paradise Road, Sept. 29 about 11:30 p.m.

Pradon, 38, was with four friends in the apartment when a neighbor knocked on the door and was followed by the robbers, one of whom shot fatally shot Pradon in the chest during a scuffle.

The thugs get away with a little cash, speeding off in a green Cadillac with gold wheels.

"We don't know a thing about what happened that night, other than what police have told us," said Matthew Jones, Pradon's stepfather. "We don't know why Ronnie was over there, or who he was with. We're hoping that offering a reward might help us find out who did this."

Who did it, and why, are among the questions taking an ever-increasing emotional toll on the family as each day passes.

"My wife raised this boy by herself, and he grew up to be a nice young man," Jones said. "He was her whole life."

Pradon was born in Columbus, Ga., and lived in Southern Nevada for more than 30 years. He was a resident of Henderson at the time of his death.

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