Metro Police Capt. Robert Plummer speaks to Las Vegas members of the clergy Wednesday, March 8, 2017, about an incident in which a man was shot and killed over the weekend.
Thursday, March 9, 2017 | 2 a.m.
Related news
Eight bullets tore through a man’s body when gunfire erupted “over a simple dispute over nothing" last weekend, Metro Police Capt. Robert Plummer said. “It wasn’t over women. It wasn’t over money. It wasn’t over gang-banging.”
While the historic West Las Vegas community reels from Saturday’s fatal violence in an apartment courtyard, a half-dozen clergy marched through the neighborhood at sunset on Wednesday.
They weren’t only there to encourage residents to tell police if they witnessed or know anything about the shooting but to establish an open dialogue.
“We’re in the community, we’re neighbors, but we don’t know one another,” said Pastor Willie Cherry of the Pleasant Grove Missionary Baptist Church, located a couple of blocks from the shooting scene. “So we’re going to do the neighborly thing and (are) going to introduce ourselves to our neighbors and see what we can do to be of service.”
It’s these conversations, in which the clergy can provide something as simple as a prayer, or connect residents with services they may need, that are the foundation for community trust and, in turn, a useful tool to help reduce crime, Metro Police has said.
These efforts, in which clergy, police and other organizations unite, have in the past proven fruitful, Plummer said.
Take for instance a triple execution in 2015 in a neighborhood less than a mile south from where the clergy walked Wednesday.
A suspect was identified, arrested and charged with the drug-related robbery, in part due to similar efforts. Violent crime in that neighborhood has dropped about 5 percent and 2016 saw no homicides there, Plummer said.
He and homicide detectives hope the same happens after this recent murder.
A group of people, including Dionne Sherfield, 46, had gathered in the courtyard of an apartment complex, 817 W. Lake Mead Blvd., near H Street, where they were talking and drinking beer, Plummer said. An argument intensified and a suspect pulled out a firearm, shooting and striking Sherfield.
He was taken to University Medical Center in critical condition and died several hours later, Plummer said. Investigators believe Sherfield was a bystander and not initially the intended target.
The male suspect hasn't been officially identified and police need witnesses to come forward, open up and lead detectives in the right direction, Plummer said.
Sherfield, who lived in the complex, was a husband and father, Plummer said. Many are negatively affected by these types of incidents, in which shootings flare over minimal disagreements, he added. The families of the victims and suspects suffer and the entire community is touched one way or another, he said.
This was the second homicide investigation in the area so far this year, Plummer said. “One’s too many, two is unacceptable. They’re all unacceptable.”
“The violence that’s occurring in society today has to stop,” he said. "People — young people especially — need to know there are other ways to resolve conflict than shooting someone or pulling a gun out and taking someone's life. Human life is valuable."
Often, listening to the community's needs and concerns can be a useful way to deter future crime, Cherry said. "We find ourselves talking about the people and never talking to the people."
Standing in the parking lot of the True Love Missionary Baptist Church and before the clergy walked north on H Street, Plummer linked hands with the church leaders, and they bowed their heads and prayed.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Metro at 702-828-3521 or via email at [email protected]. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555 or online at crimestoppersofnv.com.
