US /

A Gang Targeted the Wrong House. An 11-Year-Old Is Dead

Devastation in Las Vegas: 'No parent should have to deal with a tragedy like this'
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Nov 3, 2018 8:30 AM CDT
A Gang Targeted the Wrong House. An 11-Year-Old Is Dead
North Las Vegas Police Department Assistant Chief Pamela Ojeda responds to questions during a news conference in North Las Vegas on Friday.   (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)

Shooters intent on gang-related retaliation opened fire on the wrong house in suburban Las Vegas, killing an innocent 11-year-old girl in the kitchen, police said Friday. A neighbor on his way to work saw the gunfire late Thursday on a quiet residential street and shot with his legally owned handgun at the car as it pulled away, wounding a 19-year-old passenger, North Las Vegas Assistant Police Chief Pamela Ojeda said. The girl's father and mother, 33 and 30, and two sisters, 14 and 6, escaped physical injury as their house was blasted with gunfire, Ojeda said. "No parent should have to deal with a tragedy like this," the police official said, per the AP. Witnesses reported the vehicle stopped in front of the girl's house before three people stepped from the back seat and opened fire with shotguns and handguns at the two-story stucco home.

The girl was struck by at least one bullet that Leavitt said entered through a window or wall; she died at a local hospital. The neighbor who Leavitt said fired at the car from his garage was interviewed by police. Ojeda said he was a cooperating witness and wasn't charged with a crime. The 17-year-old driver of the getaway car called police when it broke down a few blocks away, saying the car had been hit with random gunfire and he was trying to get his friend to a hospital. The 19-year-old was hospitalized in grave condition with a head wound, police Officer Eric Leavitt said. Cops believe the shooters intended to target another house in the area in retaliation for a gang dispute. Officers didn't immediately find anyone at that house and were seeking the residents for questioning. The driver was being held as a juvenile and is expected to face felony murder, attempted murder, and conspiracy charges, Ojeda said. The wounded suspect will face the same charges if he survives, she said.

(More gangs stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X