LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A man faces an open murder charge after he allegedly shot and killed a man in a gas station parking lot and then lied to the police about it, according to an arrest report.
On Sept. 10, at around 12:20 a.m., officers with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department were called to the parking lot of a Circle K in the 3200 block of Fremont Street near St. Louis Avenue after reports of two people shooting at each other.
Arriving officers found a man, later identified as Antonio Lucas, who was shot multiple times in the parking lot of a nearby car dealership. Lucas was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the report said.
Police found a second man who had been shot in the leg inside the Circle K. He was identified as 42-year-old Emanuel Hodges. He was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
Two vehicles involved in the shooting were still parked at the scene when detectives arrived. One vehicle was a dark blue Pontiac sedan and the second was a silver Infiniti SUV.
Between the two vehicles were two white trash bags filled with wigs, shoes, and a comforter, the report stated.
At the scene, detectives found two guns: one in a trash can near the front entrance of the Circle K and another in the passenger side of the Pontiac, according to the report.
Surveillance video from the scene showed Hodges carrying a white trash bag while walking toward the Pontiac. Lucas was seen walking from the Pontiac toward the SUV. The two met in between the two vehicles, the report stated.
Hodges appears to hand the trash bag to Lucas before “immediately” shooting at him, according to the report. Lucas ran toward the dealership before collapsing.
A third, unidentified man then appears from the passenger side of the Pontiac, shooting at Hodges. Hodges and the man continued to shoot at each other as the man ran toward the dealership to check on Lucas, the report said.
The unidentified man can then be seen running back toward the Pontiac before running away from the scene out of camera view.
At around 7 p.m., officers interviewed Hodges at the hospital. Hodges told police that he was throwing away trash when he was approached by a man, believed to be Lucas, who he said was armed with a gun and demanded Hodges’ money.
Hodges told police that he was able to “wrestle the gun” away from Lucas and shot toward him multiple times, the report said. Hodges said that another man shot him in the leg and he crawled toward the Circle K, where he left the gun on the ground inside the store.
He told police that he had around $900 that was taken during the shooting, but he “did not remember” anyone taking the money out of his pocket.
Hodges told police that he did not know Lucas or the other man and had never seen them before, according to the report. He also said he did not have a gun on him before the incident.
When detectives told him that there appeared to be no struggle for the gun and that Hodges had it from the beginning, Hodges said “It happened so fast” and he was “having trouble remembering.” He then asked for a lawyer, the report stated.
Hodges was arrested for open murder with a deadly weapon and was booked in absentia at Sunrise Hospital. His initial court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 18.
A booking photo for Hodges was not available.
