Road rage suspected in slaying of woman on I-15 in Las Vegas
A woman was found shot to death in her vehicle early Wednesday on Interstate 15 in Las Vegas in what authorities suspect may have been a killing motivated by road rage.
The Nevada Highway Patrol responded about 12:08 a.m. to the scene of what was thought to be a two-vehicle crash after the woman had a medical episode in the interstate’s southbound lanes at Flamingo Road, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. The woman was found behind the wheel of a blue Nissan Versa.
“When the coroner arrived on scene around 4 a.m. and began to examine the body, the coroner discovered the victim, who is … a female in her late 30s, had a gunshot wound,” Lt. Ray Spencer said.
Spencer said the woman worked at a downtown-area casino and was driving home.
Police believe the woman was shot in the head as she drove. Her vehicle then collided with a Dodge Charger traveling south on I-15. The driver of the Charger, who was not involved in the shooting, was taken to the hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
“We still do not know exactly where the (woman’s) Nissan came from,” Spencer said. “We are trying to determine if the Nissan was on the side of the road or if the Nissan was on the off-ramp getting off at Flamingo and then traveled through the dirt. What we are believing at this point — and it is speculation — is it is probably going to be a road rage-type incident.”
The woman’s identity will be released by the Clark County coroner’s office pending notification of family members.
Anyone who observed the Nissan around the time of the shooting in the area is asked to call homicide detectives at 702-828-3521 or, to remain anonymous, Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555.
Contact Glenn Puit by email at gpuit@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter. Review-Journal reporter Sabrina Schnur contributed to this report.
