LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A Las Vegas man faces several charges after he allegedly shot at a 12-year-old and a 14-year-old in the central valley, according to an arrest report.
Mitchell Johnson, 33, of Las Vegas faces battery with a deadly weapon, assault with a deadly weapon, two counts of child abuse, conspiracy battery, and conspiracy assault with a deadly weapon, records showed.
On Aug. 13 around 9:40 p.m., officers were dispatched to the 1600 block of Harris Avenue after a report of a juvenile who was shot. When officers arrived they found a 12-year-old boy sitting at the bottom of stairs in the apartment complex with a gunshot wound to the thigh, the report said.
The victim told police that he and his friend were riding their scooters when they saw a group of three to four people looking at them from around the corner. The two boys then heard gunshots and started running, according to police.
While they were running, the 12-year-old boy felt something hit his hip and he ran back to a friend’s apartment where they called 911.
The victim initially told police that another juvenile he and his friend were having issues with shot him. However, the victim later told police that he wasn’t sure who shot him because the suspect was wearing a hoodie and he was too far to see his face.
Officers identified a juvenile as a possible suspect due to a previous shooting. When officers arrived at the juvenile’s home they took him into custody and searched the house. Police also noted that his stepfather, Johnson, was there.
Police found a handgun magazine, a holster, ammunition, and a black rifle stock in the home.
The victim told police that he and Johnson’s stepson had an ongoing dispute over a girl.
One of the juveniles who was suspected to be in the group with the suspect told police that he and his friends met with an older man that went by “M” who was wearing a black hoodie. When asked about the man in the hoodie, one of the other juveniles said it was someone’s stepdad.
Officers later obtained surveillance footage from the night which showed an unknown man in a black hoodie and 3 other people walking toward the location of the shooting and then a few minutes later walking away. Police noted that the time frame matches with the shooting, police said.
After an interview with another juvenile, police were able to identify Johnson as the suspect and took him into custody.
When interviewed by police, Johnson changed his story multiple times. He initially said he stayed home for the night but later admitted to being outside during the shooting. Johnson told police he went outside to smoke marijuana with his stepson and his friends when the shooting occurred. He never admitted to firing the gun and blamed someone else in the group.
Johnson was arrested and taken to the Clark County Detention Center. He is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 5.
