LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A Las Vegas man accused of killing his ex-wife and injuring several others lost against her in court hours before the shooting, according to an arrest report.
Roidan Durruthy-Mendoza, 38, of Las Vegas faces one count of open murder, two counts of attempted murder, and two counts of domestic battery with a deadly weapon, records showed.
On Aug. 17, around 2:40 p.m., Metro police received a call from the victim’s daughter saying, “Hurry up, hurry up,” and “He’s got a gun,” while gunshots and screaming could be heard in the background. The daughter walked away from the phone for a moment and then came back to tell the dispatchers that her mother was dead, the report said.
When officers arrived, they found three victims who suffered gunshot wounds. The first victim, identified as Marillorky Tamayo-Cruz, was pronounced dead at the scene. The other two gunshot victims sustained injuries to their elbow and eye and were taken to a local hospital.
Police identified the suspect as Durruthy-Mendoza, who was Tamayo-Cruz’s ex-husband.
The 8 News Now Investigators first reported Friday that Durruthy-Mendoza filed for divorce in July. Durruthy-Mendoza and his ex-wife were known to get into verbal and physical fights on a regular basis, police said.
On the morning of the shooting, Durruthy-Mendoza and Tamayo-Cruz had a court appearance relating to their divorce. After the hearing, Tamayo-Cruz went to a family member’s apartment in a 55-and-older community where she told her family she won in court and was going to get the house, the truck, and custody of the children, according to the arrest report.
Around 2:30 p.m., Tamayo-Cruz was sitting on the balcony with others when Durruthy-Mendoza showed up asking for the keys to their other vehicle. Tamayo-Cruz told him that she didn’t want to give him the car because she had items in it.
The two got into an argument for about a minute before Durruthy-Mendoza started to climb up the balcony. One of the other people on the balcony pushed him down before he got up to the second floor.
Durruthy-Mendoza then ran around the building toward the front door. Those on the balcony ran inside to make sure the front door was locked. When they got to the front door they heard banging and what sounded like gunshots, police said. He then kicked in the door and began shooting.
Tamayo-Cruz and her daughter locked themselves in a bedroom. While they were hiding, Durruthy-Mendoza kicked in the bedroom door and shot his ex-wife three times in the head, police said.
Durruthy-Mendoza then left the room and the daughter grabbed a knife from the kitchen and stabbed him in the back. Durruthy-Mendoza then tried to push the blade into her chest but instead cut her hand.
Durruthy-Mendoza left the apartment before officers arrived. Around 3:10 p.m., Durruthy-Mendoza showed up at LVMPD’s Records and Fingerprints Bureau where he told police “I killed my wife.”
Durruthy-Mendoza was taken into custody and treated for the stab wounds on his back. He is scheduled to appear in court for his preliminary hearing on Oct. 18.
