Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Apartment complex video helps Las Vegas police make arrest in fatal shooting

A surveillance camera pointing toward the area of a fatal shooting at a central Las Vegas apartment complex helped detectives quickly unravel misinformation provided by the suspect’s family and make a subsequent arrest, according to a Metro Police arrest report.

Following the April 20 slaying, detectives trying to enter the surveillance area inside the locked laundry room of the San Tropez Apartments, near Twain Avenue and Swenson Street, were told by the property manager that an “unknown person” had been squatting in the room.

Police later found a “family” photo of the property manager and quickly determined she was the mother of the unknown squatter, who was later identified as the suspect, Gonzalo Rivera, 42, according to the report.

Rivera’s younger brother, who called 911 to report finding a fatally wounded Mark Anthony Salazar, later admitted to detectives that he was there during the shooting, which “happened quickly” after an argument. He also said he cleaned the crime scene before calling police, according to the report.

In his interview with detectives two days after the shooting, Rivera said he didn’t pull the trigger, but had attempted to clean the scene, police said. Inconsistencies in his version of events led to his arrest and he was jailed on a count of murder with a deadly weapon.

Officers about 9:20 p.m. were dispatched to an alley at the complex where they encountered the victim’s body with a gunshot wound to the chest, police said.

Detectives spotted the camera positioned on a window of the complex’s laundry room, police said. When they made contact with the property manager and learned that the surveillance system was inside the room, the woman told them an unknown person had taken possession of the room and installed a deadlock.

“(The woman) claimed after growing concern, she had advised the management company several times yet they failed to respond,” police wrote in the report.

No one came to the door, and the next day, detectives forced their way inside, where they found blood, bullets, paperwork with Rivera’s name and a picture of his mother, property manager, police said.

The surveillance footage from the night of the shooting showed the suspect and the victim arrive to the complex about 8:30 p.m. Minutes later, Rivera was seen “hurriedly” moving through the alley, then carrying a trash bag to a dumpster and putting items in his car, according to the report.

Rivera also was seen “carrying an unknown blood-soaked material and flashlight” as he got back in the car, police said. It wasn’t immediately clear if his brother or mother will be facing any legal repercussions.

Rivera, who is being held without bond at the Clark County Detention Center, is slated to appear in front of a judge Monday morning, jail logs show.