Las Vegas landlord accused of killing 2 tenants over rent denied bail
A Las Vegas man accused of killing two people and critically injuring a third in a dispute over unpaid rent made a brief court appearance Monday.
Police said Arnoldo Lozano Sanchez, 78, of Las Vegas, laughed and smiled as he shot the tenants last week at his home in the 200 block of West Chicago Avenue.
After a short hearing Monday, Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Amy Chelini ordered Sanchez to return to court in November on two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Joe Bonaventure denied bail for Sanchez during the brief hearing.
Police said Sanchez shot and killed two women and critically injured a man, who was shot nine times, on Tuesday inside a home he rented out to multiple people. The identities of the victims were not available Monday.
When a witness suggested that Sanchez try to use the court system to evict the tenants, he said he would “handle it his way,” police said in an arrest report.
Gunfire broke out in the home at 12:23 a.m. Tuesday. Witness Carlos Lopez said he was staying in a room at Sanchez’s house with his girlfriend, identified only by the name of “Paula.” He said Paula left the room, then moments later he heard gunshots.
Lopez told police he saw Sanchez “standing in the hallway smiling and laughing.”
A roommate, identified by Lopez as Seferino Reyes, then opened the door to his room. Sanchez entered and gunshots were heard from inside the room, according to Lopez.
Lopez fled the home, then found Paula outside suffering from a gunshot wound. The woman, whose last name has not been released, died at the scene, police said. Inside the home, officers found another woman, who was pronounced dead at the scene, and a critically injured man, believed to be Reyes, who had been shot nine times, according to police.
Contact David Ferrara at dferrara@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039. Follow @randompoker on Twitter.