LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The man accused of killing a Las Vegas woman in her front yard in February was pulled over in Arizona just hours after the homicide, according to a report.
Michael Coleman faces an open murder charge for the February homicide of Kidada Stewart.
On Monday, Feb 27, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department was called to the 9800 block of Venus Lake Court, near South Fort Apache Road and West Mountains Edge Way after a 911 call placed by the victim’s neighbor who said he heard several gunshots at around 9:07 a.m.
According to a report, when the neighbor went outside, he saw Stewart laying on the ground. Another 911 call was placed by Stewart’s girlfriend.
Stewart’s girlfriend told police that Stewart had left the house that they shared at around 8:45 a.m. to drop her grandson off at school and was due back around 9 a.m.
Arriving officers found Stewart in front of her house, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. She was taken to University Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead. Her cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds, with the manner being ruled homicide.
The report states that a four-door vehicle had arrived at Stewart’s residence just before the shooting and fled immediately afterward. The vehicle was later identified as a red Hyundai Sonata.
At around 9:04 a.m., the Hyundai parked across from Stewart’s residence. According to the report, at the same time, Stewart returned home and parked in her driveway. After she exited the vehicle, a figure wearing all black clothing exited the Hyundai and ran toward her, shooting several times before fleeing in the Hyundai.
The next day, on Feb 28, homicide detectives were able to follow the path of the vehicle on surveillance and saw that the vehicle appeared to have a commemorative license plate.
According to the report, on March 2, police were able to obtain a list of red Hyundai Sonatas with commemorative plates. One was narrowed down to belong to Coleman’s mother.
A search in records showed that the vehicle had been stopped on Southbound US93 in Arizona approximately 12 hours after the shooting. The driver was identified as Michael Coleman, and he was given a traffic warning for having a brake light out.
A search warrant of the vehicle revealed multiple cell phones, including a new cell phone still in the box that had been purchased under the fake name “Bruce Banner.” Surveillance video from the store where the phone was purchased showed a man identified as Coleman.
On Thursday, May 4, at around 11:45 a.m., detectives found Coleman at a residence, where they established containment before asking him to voluntarily leave. Coleman initially refused to exit. SWAT was called, but Coleman eventually left the residence voluntarily at around 1:45 p.m.
Coleman was arrested and booked into the Clark County Detention Center on a charge of open murder with a deadly weapon.
No information was given on how or if Coleman knew the victim or on any motive.
