Police: Homicide suspect left victim a voicemail after shooting him

A suspect in the slaying of a 22-year-old North Las Vegas man on Sunday after a drug buy gone bad left the victim a voicemail shortly after fatally shooting him, according to an arrest report for a suspect in the case.

Officers found the voicemail on the phone of Dre’Vaugh Dixion, who was shot during a car chase punctuated by gunfire after stealing some marijuana from 18-year-old Rodrigo Chavez, the report said. A friend drove him to North Vista Hospital after realizing Dixion had been wounded, but he died at the hospital, it said.

Just five minutes after the friend delivered Dixion to the hospital, Chavez left Dixion a voicemail saying Dixion was “lucky” he didn’t shoot his friend, and that Chavez had “emptied the (whole) clip,” the report said. Detectives determined that gunfire struck Dixion’s friend’s car and two apartments during the chase.

Dixion had arranged for his friend to pick him up after the drug buy at the front of the Centennial Park Arms neighborhood, near Carey Avenue and Fifth Street, but when Dixion got in the car he told his friend “just drive,” the report said.

As the friend drove away, a Ford Mustang began chasing the pair. When the chase reached Hamilton Street and Putnam Avenue, the friend heard gunshots, and realized Dixion had been hit.

The friend drove Dixion to North Vista Hospital, about a mile and a half from the neighborhood, while still being followed by the Mustang. The friend pulled into the hospital about 11:15 p.m. and asked for help from a North Las Vegas Police Department officer in the parking lot, the report said.

Dixion died at the hospital from a gunshot wound to the chest, and his death was ruled a homicide, the Clark County coroner’s office said.

While searching Dixion’s phone, detectives found a text exchange between Chavez and Dixion setting up the meeting to buy the marijuana. They also discovered the voicemail from Chavez, the report said.

Chavez was arrested Monday and booked into the Las Vegas City Jail, police have said. Detectives determined that Chavez’s friend 19-year-old Blake Whittington drove the Mustang that matched the license plate of the car Chavez was in during the shooting.

Jail records indicate Whittington was arrested and booked into the jail on Tuesday. According to the report, Whittington admitted that he gave Chavez a gun, drove Chavez to sell the marijuana and was at the wheel during the car chase.

Whittington named Chavez as the shooter, the report said. Both remained in the jail on Thursday morning.

The men face charges of murder with a deadly weapon, attempted murder with a deadly weapon, conspiracy to commit murder, discharging a gun from or within an occupied structure, and three counts of discharging a gun at or into an occupied structure, court records show.

Whittington and Chavez were due to appear in court Thursday morning, court records show.

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