Summerlin resident shoots, kills man in backyard

A Summerlin resident shot and killed a man he thought was breaking into his home Tuesday morning.

Las Vegas police said the resident, who was not identified by police, shot and killed a man about 9:30 a.m. in the 2100 block of Spurs Court, near Town Center Drive and Sahara Avenue.

Police said the dead man was found in the backyard of the home. It's unclear whether the man entered the home or attempted to enter before he was shot.

Officer Bill Cassell, a police spokesman, said the investigation was ongoing Tuesday. Once the detectives collect the facts, the case will be submitted to the Clark County district attorney's office to consider possible charges against the resident.

The dead man was not identified, and his age was not released.

Cassell would not say whether the dead man had a weapon. The resident used a handgun and was cooperating with police, Cassell said.

Neighbors said the man was seated in the back of a police car Tuesday morning with his head down. Cassell referred to the man several times as a "homeowner," but it wasn't clear whether the resident rented or owned the home.

Neighbor Corey Posgay said that he lives in a home on Spurs Court and that the resident in question is a renter, a man in his late 50s who is quiet and keeps to himself.

The man moved into the home about six months ago, said Posgay, who didn't know much about him, not even his name.

Posgay said he heard a single gunshot.

He said he thinks the man who was shot was attempting to break into the man's house because the home is on a cul-de-sac and there would be no reasonable explanation for why someone would be in the man's backyard.

He said the fence that encloses the home's backyard is at least 6 feet tall.

"Nobody's going to jump the fence just for the hell of it," Posgay said.

He added the man who was shot must have had "malicious intent."

Posgay said that while his neighborhood is generally quiet, it has experienced some crime.

About a year ago his car was broken into, and a burglar attempted to get into a neighbor's house.

Posgay said he didn't blame the resident for shooting his weapon.

"If they would have done it to our house, I would have done the same thing," he said.

Fred Lewis, who lives a few homes away, said he also heard a gunshot. Just before that, he said his neighbor's dogs started barking.

"They were going crazy like someone was at the door," he said.

Lewis said he moved to the neighborhood three to four months ago because the neighborhood was quiet and peaceful. It's a fairly affluent area, he said.

"That's why the crooks are coming," he said.

The shooting shocked neighbors, who spoke in hushed circles behind the police tape Tuesday.

Some children rode their bikes while residents walked their dogs amid a heavy police presence.

"We don't hear about this kind of stuff out here," Stacy Hawkins said. "I was sure this was a domestic. I couldn't believe it was a break-in."

Hawkins said her husband is a firefighter who works long shifts.

"I'm glad it wasn't my house," she said.

Review-Journal reporter Antonio Planas contributed to this report. Contact reporter Mike Blasky at mblasky@
reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0283.