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Death of mother killed in Las Vegas shootout ruled homicide

The death of a woman killed in front of her child last week when a shootout erupted in an east Las Vegas neighborhood was ruled a homicide by the Clark County coroner’s office.

Karen Lopez, 34, was shot by her ex-husband April 25 in front of a home on Silver Saddle Street, near Eastern Avenue and Desert Inn Road, Metropolitan Police Department homicide Lt. Ray Spencer has said. Lopez’s death was ruled a homicide from a gunshot wound, the coroner’s office said Thursday afternoon.

Her ex-husband previously was identified by the coroner’s office as 49-year-old Fernando Lopez. His death was ruled a homicide from multiple gunshot wounds.

Police have said the shootout occurred during a “domestic disturbance” in front of a random home. It was unclear at the time if Fernando Lopez died from a self-inflicted gunshot or from a rifle round fired by the home’s resident.

Public divorce records identify the pair’s son as 4-year-old Brandon Kelvin Lopez, who goes by Kelvin, according to a GoFundMe campaign created by Karen Lopez’s family. The money will be used to bring her body home to the Philippines, the woman’s aunt told the Review-Journal on Monday.

Karen Lopez had immigrated to the United States from the Philippines about five years ago, according to her aunt, Elma Gotidoc.

Karen and Fernando Lopez were married Aug. 9, 2015, in Las Vegas, records show. The two divorced in early 2018.

The mother had primary custody of Kelvin during weekdays, while Fernando Lopez had their son on weekends, records show.

Fernando Lopez claimed the marriage was a “fraud,” and that the two had never lived together, while Karen Lopez accused her ex-husband of infidelity and verbal and emotional abuse, according to the records.

Homicide Lt. Ray Spencer said the man and woman were arguing in a car, which had California plates, on April 25 while their son was in the car with them.

The car pulled over in front of the Silver Saddle home, where two men who lived at the house were sitting in the driveway, Spencer said. The man and woman exited the car, and Karen Lopez handed her son over to the two men. Fernandez Lopez was armed with a handgun, he said.

During the argument, one of the residents went into the home and came back outside armed with a rifle before Fernando Lopez opened fire on his ex-wife. That prompted the shootout between Fernando Lopez and the armed resident, police said.

The boy was not injured and was taken into Child Protective Services’ custody the day of the shooting.

Karen Lopez also leaves behind a 10-year-old son, Batotoy.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.

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