Minnesota man arrested in truck stop killing extradited to Las Vegas
A man accused of carrying out a killing at a Las Vegas Valley truck stop, and then fleeing to Minnesota, has been extradited back to Southern Nevada to face charges.
Clark County Detention Center records show Mark A. Doocy, 60, of Blooming Prairie, Minnesota, was booked at the jail Thursday. He is accused of killing Dennis David Hopkins, 40, of Las Vegas, in February at the Love’s Travel Stop at 12501 Apex Great Basin Way. Doocy was arrested March 4 after police said he fled to Minnesota.
An arrest report for Doocy indicates Hopkins was at the truck stop, helping his wife restart her broken-down pickup, when the shooting occurred. The man’s wife said they were working on the pickup when she “observed a person she has known for the past several months as Mark Doocy” pull up next to Dennis Hopkins’ vehicle.
“Doocy and Dennis Hopkins got into a verbal altercation when Dennis told her to call 911,” the arrest report states.
Police did not specify what the argument was about, but a witness said they heard Doocy telling Hopkins he was going to retrieve a gun from his vehicle, a black GMC Envoy, with Minnesota tags.
“Dennis Hopkins said, ‘Go ahead,’ ” the arrest report states.
Hopkins then jumped into his Ford Excursion as Doocy approached with a weapon, police said.
“Doocy began shooting into the vehicle through the front windshield,” the report states. Hopkins suffered a gunshot wound to the right side of his chest.
Hopkins then got out of the vehicle and ran northbound on Apex Great Basin Way before collapsing in a desert area, with Doocy following and shooting at him, police said.
“Doocy got back into his GMC Envoy and drove to the area where Hopkins was lying in the desert,” police said.
A witness snapped a photo of Doocy’s vehicle pulled up next to Hopkins’ body, the arrest report states.
Hopkins’ wife told police that Doocy frequented a motel on Speedway Boulevard. Police subsequently checked a license plate reading device used by police that showed Doocy’s Envoy — with the same Minnesota tags — was parked at the hotel in January.
Contact Glenn Puit at gpuit@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0390. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter.
