KLAS-TV Channel 8 News Las VegasGunman Arrested After Standoff at Las Vegas Hotel
Bonilla Arrest Report - Page 1 | Bonilla Arrest Report - Page 2
(this report may been hard to read)
One man is dead and another is in police custody after a seven hour stand-off at a Las Vegas hotel.
Police responded to the Harrah's Hotel and Casino just after Midnight. When they arrived, they found a man with gunshot wounds and a gunman barricaded in a room on the 20th floor.
Police say the gunman, Curtis Billy Bonilla, fired shots at them a number of times. "And on at least two occasions, he fired shots from inside the hotel room believing officers were out in the hallway," said Lt. Lew Roberts, Metro police.
There were also at least forty guests at Harrah's that were evacuated from their rooms for safety. Some of the guests were in their sleepwear and confused by what was happening.
"They are irate. They moved everyone to the buffet," said Jason Kim, evacuated guest. One eyewitness said there were several officers with their guns pulled running through the hallway.
When police arrived, they found a man who had been shot several times. That man, 43-year-old Phillip McElreath, died from multiple gun shot wounds. He was from Reno, Nevada.
The gunman did not surrender easily. He holed himself up in a room for hours and negotiations carried into mid-morning.
In the meantime, guest were left with the options of staying in the buffet area or meeting rooms. The hotel did not have any vacant guest rooms to accomodate them.
"We can't get to the convention. All I have is my wallet and they just gave me a cup of coffee," said Bob Carchidi, evacuated guest.
Even though the suspect fired at police, Metro says officers did not fire back. Little is known about the gunman except that he is 22-years-old and was a guest at the hotel.
