Man dies 23 years after being injured in Las Vegas bar fight
On June 16, 1994, two people got into a fist fight at a downtown Las Vegas bar.
It was a fight with consequences that lingered 23 years, until 10 days ago when one man died in part from injuries related to the brawl.
Metropolitan Police Department said Robert Butler fought with another person inside Atomic Liquors, 917 Fremont St. Butler fell to the ground, but the other fighter continued to beat him.
The assailant left before police arrived, Metro spokesman Aden OcampoGomez said, but not before Butler suffered life-altering injuries. And on Dec. 26, the Washoe County coroner’s office said, Butler died at age 70.
OcampoGomez said Butler died in part due to the injuries he suffered in the fight.
“Obviously, he’s been surviving since then,” OcampoGomez said. “But based on the fact it was related to those injuries, it’s considered a homicide.”
His cause and manner of death are pending an autopsy, but OcampoGomez said he died during a seizure, adding Butler suffered them as a result of the fight.
OcampoGomez said Butler’s injuries required brain surgery. He was released from the hospital sometime after the operation, and had been living in Reno.
The other fighter has died since the fight and was never charged, OcampoGomez said.
Attempts to reach Butler’s family Thursday night were unsuccessful.
Contact Mike Shoro at mshoro@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5290. Follow @mike_shoro on Twitter.
