Man fatally shot at motel near Las Vegas Strip identified

The Clark County coroner’s office has identified a man shot and killed Monday morning at a motel near the Strip.

He was 39-year-old James Triplett II, of Las Vegas, the coroner’s office said. Metropolitan Police Department homicide Lt. Ray Spencer said Wednesday that police were still searching for the shooter.

Officers were called just before 10 a.m. to the scene of the shooting at a Motel 6 at 5085 Dean Martin Drive, near Tropicana Avenue, Spencer said. When police arrived, they found Triplett dead on a second-floor motel room balcony.

The coroner’s office ruled Triplett’s death a homicide due to a gunshot wound of the head.

Witnesses said two men were seen running from the motel shortly after the shooting, Spencer said. One man was detained, but Spencer said Wednesday that he was actually a witnesses to the shooting.

Detectives believe Triplett arrived at the motel in a Dodge and walked to the room, where there was a “confrontation between the deceased and somebody inside,” Spencer said Monday.

Further information was not immediately available.

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