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.