Man Suspected of Assault Killed by Vigilantes, Say Cops

A group of people who came to the aid of an apparent rape victim in Las Vegas ended up killing a man, according to police, who are seeking the public's help in identifying the individuals. Officers responding to a report of a stabbing around 3:30pm Tuesday found a man fatally injured in an alley in a residential neighborhood near the intersection of Charleston and Mojave, about seven miles northeast of the Las Vegas Strip, per USA Today. Police later said the victim, a Black male in his 50s, may have been sexually assaulting a woman in a nearby shed before he was attacked, per KVVU. "A group of citizens ran to assist when they heard a woman's screams coming from the shed," police said. "It is believed that the victim was stabbed during the intervention."

The man died later at a hospital. He has not been publicly identified. A woman in her 30s told police he was the same man who'd assaulted her in the shed "at the back of a nearby dirt lot," per the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He was reportedly discovered, stabbed, then ran to the alley. Police said his attackers had fled by the time officers arrived. "This is still a pretty fluid investigation," Metropolitan Police Department Lt. Jason Johansson tells the Review-Journal, noting authorities are working to obtain surveillance video that might help identify the suspects. Anyone with information is asked to contact police or Crime Stoppers of Nevada. (More Las Vegas stories.)