Las Vegas man, already in jail, charged with murder in shooting of homeless man
A man already in jail was charged with murder this week in connection with the death of a homeless man in November.
Mario Velasco, 26, had already been booked into the Clark County Detention Center on several unrelated charges as of December. But he was rebooked on new charges Thursday in connection with the November shooting, Las Vegas police announced Friday.
On Nov. 10, officers were called about 4:30 a.m. to a spot of sidewalk just north of Woodlawn Cemetery, near the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard North and Owens Avenue, police had said. Michael Tzaras, 46, was found shot and later pronounced dead at University Medical Center.
At the time, police had “absolutely no idea” if the shooting was random because detectives had little information and no clear motive. It’s unclear why Velasco was charged in connection; his arrest report was not available Friday afternoon.
The suspect’s sister, Alyssa Nicole Velasco, 27, was killed last week in a central valley double homicide.
In connection with the homicide case, Velasco faces one count of murder, two counts of attempted robbery with a deadly weapon, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon and one count for dischargeing a gun.
He was in court Friday morning.
Contact Rachel Crosby at rcrosby@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5290. Follow @rachelacrosby on Twitter.
