Suspect in shooting near Rio linked to earlier Strip conflict

A felon arrested in a shooting near the Rio resort Tuesday is also a suspect in a shooting at a motel on the Las Vegas Strip in April, police records show.

Branden Henry, 27, of Las Vegas was booked Wednesday at the Clark County Detention Center on multiple felonies stemming from the two shootings.

The most recent occurred at 10:05 a.m. Tuesday near the Rio, at the intersection of Hotel Rio and Dean Martin drives. Las Vegas police said in arrest reports for Henry that a man was riding his bike south on Dean Martin when a man walking in the opposite direction shot him in the leg. The shooting was captured on video surveillance.

Police said the victim indicated he did not have much information about the person who shot him, but they later interviewed a witness who talked to the victim, and the witness said the victim had identified the shooter as Henry. Police then went back to the victim, who told them he knew the shooter’s nickname as “Toxic.”

According to police, they subsequently confirmed that Henry’s nickname is “Toxic.” They also learned he was wanted in an April 27 shooting at the Desert Oasis Motel, 3965 Las Vegas Blvd. South.

In that shooting, police said, Henry was involved in a dispute with a man and woman at the property when he pulled out a gun and fired two shots at the woman. She escaped injury.

Witnesses identified Henry as the gunman, police said.

Detectives said Henry was convicted in 2018 of felony battery with a deadly weapon in Nevada. Las Vegas Justice Court records also show that Henry has multiple prior arrests in the Las Vegas Valley since 2013. Most are for misdemeanor offenses like trespassing and vagrancy.

He is being held at the detention center on two felony counts of assault, two felony counts of battery, and possession of a gun by a prohibited person.

Contact Glenn Puit by email at gpuit@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter.