LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Three teens are facing murder charges in the death of a Colorado woman who was gunned down in a drive-by shooting in a south Las Vegas neighborhood while walking dogs.
The teens are identified by police as Johnathan Perez-Stubbs, 19; Kevin Perez-Stubbs, 16; and Mezarius Finch, 17. The two younger teens are certified as adults in the court system due to the seriousness of the charges.
The arrest report states the shooting, which happened around 9 p.m. on April 23, 2023, followed an earlier fight that occurred between two teens at a nearby apartment complex where several teens had gathered. One teen accused another of stealing his “ghost” Polymer 80 slide gun. That gun would later be found by police near the apartment building and matched to 43-year-old Shawna McCowan’s shooting.
Police documents indicate McCowan was an innocent bystander who happened to be walking on the same sidewalk as two teens who were targeted in a drive-by shooting by a car full of teens, including one passenger who leaned out of his window and shot across the roof of the vehicle into the direction of the two walking teens and McCowan. She collapsed in a home’s front yard in the 3400 block of Bella Lante Avenue, off of Valley View Boulevard and Polaris Avenue.
A man who identified himself as her boyfriend told police, that he saw the two teens walking toward them and then he saw a person lean out of a passing car and “immediately began firing a handgun” in their direction, striking McCowan in the back and neck as she ran for cover, the report stated.
Police recovered evidence indicating at least 16 shots were fired. McCowan was the only person hit. The targeted teens ran from the shooting scene and the vehicle drove off. According to the documents, police used surveillance videos and witness statements to track down the teens involved.
Kevin Perez-Stubbs, 16, was arrested on May 24. His name was not made public at the time due to his age. The arrests of his brother Johnathan, and Mezarius Finch occurred last week, almost five months later, 8 News Now first reported.
All three are facing open murder with the use of a deadly weapon, attempted murder with the use of a deadly weapon, and conspiracy to commit murder charges in the death of McCowan.
Johnathan Perez-Stubbs is in custody at the Clark County Detention Center and is scheduled to have a preliminary hearing on Nov. 8.
