Man faces murder charge in central Las Vegas attack
A 52-year-old man is facing a second-degree murder charge in connection with an attack on another man in central Las Vegas late last year, police said Wednesday.
Several witnesses reported seeing a man, identified as 56-year-old Jeffrey Hadlock, being punched and that he was severely injured near West Charleston and South Decatur boulevards on Dec. 12, according to an arrest report from the Metropolitan Police Department.
While others rushed to provide medical help to the fallen man, the suspect walked away.
One caller identified the attacker as a man named Melvin who took the Arrow Shuttle, a free bus for homeless residents, from Catholic Charities to the Southern Nevada Health District and walked to the West Charleston intersection. Detectives pulled the bus records for Dec. 12 and found that Melvin Gibson was the only person named Melvin on the route that day.
Video taken by a driver in the area showed Hadlock and Gibson talking before Gibson punched Hadlock, and that Gibson slapped him after he fell, the report stated.
Gibson had told a witness that he hit Hadlock because “the guy was talking to him too much,” according to the arrest report.
After emergency crews arrived, Hadlock was taken to University Medical Center. He died Jan. 2 from blunt head trauma with acute ethanol intoxication, the Clark County coroner’s office ruled.
Gibson was arrested around 11:30 p.m. Sunday at Convention Center Drive and South Las Vegas Boulevard.
He is being held without bail and scheduled to appear in court Thursday.
Contact Sabrina Schnur at sschnur@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0278. Follow @sabrina_schnur on Twitter.
