Suspect survives gunshot, faces murder charge in wife’s death
The man accused of shooting his estranged wife at her west valley workplace before turning the gun on himself Saturday night has survived and now faces a murder charge.
Jail records show Abebe Y. Teferi was booked in absentia Saturday into the Clark County Detention Center in connection with the domestic-related homicide. The 57-year-old man, who police confirmed remained in critical condition at University Medical Center on Sunday, faces one count of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon.
Teferi landed in the hospital Saturday night after the apparent botched 6:25 p.m. murder-suicide inside the Herbst Market at 9475 W. Desert Inn Road, where his wife worked as a cashier. The mother of two died at the scene, and Las Vegas police said she was shot multiple times.
The unsuspecting woman was standing behind the cash register when police said her husband entered the store, which is west of the intersection of Desert Inn and Fort Apache roads.
“Hate to see somebody at work doing their job and get shot like that,” Metropolitan Police Department homicide Lt. Dan McGrath said.
In the moments before Teferi allegedly opened fire, according to detectives, it doesn’t appear he said anything to her. He walked to the cash register and allegedly fired at least four rounds before sitting on the floor and shooting himself in the head.
Detectives were still trying to pinpoint the gunman’s motive Saturday evening. At the scene, McGrath said the couple had been separated for about three months.
“Don’t know what made him get to this point, but apparently they’ve been having some issues,” he said.
In the investigation’s early hours, homicide detectives determined the woman was the only target. Officers checked on other family members’ safety, including the woman’s two sons, who police confirmed were uninjured. It wasn’t immediately clear whether Teferi fathered her children.
At least eight people were inside the store during the shooting. No one else was injured.
The Clark County coroner’s office will identify the woman once her family has been notified. Her death marks the third homicide investigated by Metro this year.
Contact Rio Lacanlale at rlacanlale@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Follow @riolacanlale on Twitter. Review-Journal staff writer Mike Shoro contributed to this story.
