Henderson man tied to shootout arrived in stolen Kia, police say

A man arrested in a fatal Henderson shooting drove to the party in a stolen Kia with at least three other people, according to an arrest report from the Henderson Police Department released Monday.

Samarien Vance, 20, is awaiting extradition from Oklahoma to face charges of murder and attempted murder, according to court records.

Police said Vance is suspected of fatally shooting Henderson resident Craig Fletcher Jr., 22, around 1 a.m. on March 19 on the 1100 block of Center Street.

Fletcher was found lying next to Alexandro Benitez, who told police they took off running when gunshots rang out at the party, according to the arrest report from Henderson police.

Benitez suffered a gunshot wound to his abdomen and leg, and he had a graze wound on his head when police found him.

Witnesses told police 50 “young men” were partying near an apartment building when a shootout unfolded. The witnesses said men were yelling “rolling 60s and “gerson,” referencing the Rollin’ 60s Crips and Gerson Park Kingsmen.

Detectives found video from the apartment complex, which showed several men drive up in a Kia K5 that was reported stolen two days earlier from North Las Vegas.

Police wrote that one man initiated the shootout, but Vance is suspected of chasing down Benitez and Fletcher as they ran through a drainage ditch to avoid crossfire.

Hours after the shooting, the Kia was reported on West Gowan Road by a neighbor who said it had been left running for two hours.

Video from the Gowan apartment complex showed four men dropping the car off.

Detectives wrote in the report that Ty’Janae McCloud connected his phone to the car. Henderson police sent the Metropolitan Police Department photos from McCloud’s Instagram and fingerprints found on the Kia.

Metro identified Crushawn Caples as a suspect in the car theft based on fingerprints left on snacks and drinks in the Kia, according to the arrest report from Henderson police.

Police listed other people, whose names were redacted, as possible suspects they had reviewed messages from. One pair, speaking over voice message said “12 got the car,” and a female replied in a voice message, “I checked on the news to see if someone really got shot yesterday yes, when we shot them yesterday somebody really died.”

Caples and McCloud were each charged with possession of a stolen vehicle. They are expected to appear in court again Tuesday.

A warrant was issued on June 6 for Vance, and he was arrested two days later and booked into the City of Tulsa Detention Center in Oklahoma, according to Henderson police. Upcoming court dates had not been set as of Monday.

Contact Sabrina Schnur at sschnur@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0278. Follow @sabrina_schnur on Twitter.