LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A 28-year-old man who was shot Sunday night on the Las Vegas Strip is fighting for his life, according to his mother.
The shooting happened around 11 p.m. on a sidewalk between The LINQ and Flamingo hotels in the 3500 block of Las Vegas Boulevard.
The mother of the man shot says his name is Justin. She told 8 News Now that her son underwent seven surgeries. Family of the victim said it is possible he will be paralyzed from the waist down.
She says Justin was in town from Seattle to help her move. He was wearing a Seattle Seahawks necklace when, according to her, two men started calling her son names, and that’s when shots rang out.
Justin’s mom says the bullet missed his heart and hit his kidneys, possibly causing paralysis.
The two men were stopped for speeding in Baker, California, less than two hours after the shooting.
California Highway Patrol identified the driver as David Preston and his passenger as Christian Miller, both are 19. Officers conducted a DUI evaluation on Preston and placed him under arrest. Miller, who was the prime suspect in the shooting, rode to Baker in the tow truck.
When CHP was made aware that Metro Police had issued an active fugitive warrant for both men for the Las Vegas shooting, Miller was taken into custody.
Preston and Miller were transported to the High Desert Detention Center in Adelanto, CA and booked without further incident.
“I’m staying at the Flamingo on the fourth floor with a couple of friends. I came downstairs and there were police. They said no one could get in,” said Nino Alivegic. “they told me there was another shooting just down the street from here.”
This shooting is the latest in a recent string of violence on or around the Las Vegas Strip.
“Overall throughout America, the world is getting more violent in general. So, it’s not surprising that you see this more in public areas there’s a lot of hateful people out there,” said Aiden Shank, visiting from Milwaukee.
Retired Henderson police chief and security consultant Tommy Burns says more needs to be done.
“I think you are going to see Metro stepping up when they see these roving bands of thugs out there, most of them are verbally accosting woman, challenging men to fights, things of that nature. It is just a party up and down the Strip, really, and people don’t feel safe,” Burns said.
Recently, LVMPD Sheriff Joe Lombardo recognized the uptick in crime. He attributed the problem to lower room rates and less options for activities on the Strip due to shutdowns caused by the pandemic.
On Saturday, a drive-by shooting at the Stage Door bar left three people wounded. That’s on Flamingo, just behind the Cromwell. All three people shot are expected to survive.
