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Suspect arrested in shooting during attempt to rob heroin dealer

A Las Vegas man has been arrested in a shooting that police say unfolded during an attempt to rob a heroin dealer of a half-ounce of heroin.

Colton James Schultz, 32, is charged with attempted murder and multiple other felonies in the March 28 shooting at Flamingo Road and U.S. Highway 95 at 7:30 p.m.

A Metropolitan Police Department arrest report for Schultz states that on the night of the shooting, a man initially told police he was carjacked and shot in the hand by strangers. Upon further questioning, however, the man said he’d agreed to meet an acquaintance that night with a plan to order heroin.

Police said when the man went to the rendezvous in eastern Las Vegas, a gunman unknown to him approached his car and robbed him, then got in his car and told him to “call his drug dealer and order a half-ounce of heroin.”

The man complied, police said, and scheduled a meeting with the dealer. The gunman then started driving the victim’s vehicle, but when he briefly stopped and got out of the car, the victim hopped in the driver’s seat and started to drive off. The gunman fired a single shot into at the car, striking the victim in the hand. He was taken to a hospital where he underwent surgery.

Police said fingerprints recovered from the vehicle and “advanced investigative techniques” allowed officers to identify Schultz as a suspect. A witness also picked Schultz’s picture out of a police lineup, detectives said.

Police said Schultz was already in custody on charges stemming from an April 22 car crash on Patrick Lane and South Pecos Road.

“He (Schultz) has many arrests involving Schedule I and II narcotics,” police said in the arrest report.

Schultz remained in custody Monday morning at the Clark County Detention Center. In addition to attempted murder, he is charged with robbery, kidnapping, discharging a gun into an occupied vehicle, driving under the influence, and possession of stolen property. Schultz also faces a grand larceny charge in another case dating to 2020.

He is scheduled to appear in Las Vegas Justice Court on May 11 in the attempted murder case.

Contact Glenn Puit by email at gpuit@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter.

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