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Police hunting gunman targeting the homeless in Las Vegas

A possible serial killer has shot dead two homeless men and wounded two others in Las Vegas in re...
Newstalk
Newstalk

08.21 8 Feb 2018


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Police hunting gunman targetin...

Police hunting gunman targeting the homeless in Las Vegas

Newstalk
Newstalk

08.21 8 Feb 2018


Share this article


A possible serial killer has shot dead two homeless men and wounded two others in Las Vegas in recent days.

Police are asking for the public's help to find the shooter who has been targeting the homeless.

On January 29th, the gunman shot at a man multiple times outside a convenience store in Logandale, north of Las Vegas, before fleeing. The victim survived.

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Just hours later, at 3am, the same suspect was captured on CCTV approaching a group of homeless people sleeping outside a strip mall in Washington Avenue.

He shot 51-year-old Brian Wayne Clegg dead.

A few hours later he opened fire on another homeless man sleeping near the same road.

The man was shot in the face and survived but could not provide any details about what happened, police said.

On Friday, the same man was captured on CCTV approaching a fourth victim who was sleeping near 14th Street.

He shot him twice in the head, killing him, before fleeing in an SUV.

The man was named as James Edgar Lewis, 64, whose devastated daughter had been looking for him for years and only found out he was homeless when police told her he had died.

Serial killer

Captain Plummer said: "After killing two people and shooting two others, if he isn't a serial killer, he's on his way to being one."

He said the FBI's definition of a serial killer is someone who kills three or more people with about a month in between each one.

Police said the shooter "can only be described" as a white or Hispanic man who is about 6ft tall and was driving a silver or light blue Hyundai Tucson Sport Limited SUV.

Murder weapon

Forensic analysts have connected one gun to all four shootings.

Residents and business operators near the scenes have been asked to check their surveillance footage from 29th January and 2nd February for any clues.

Police patrols in Las Vegas' homeless areas have been stepped up.

"To target homeless, a very vulnerable segment of our society, is cowardly," Plummer said.

"It's unfortunate that anyone is homeless in today's society, but the fact that they're homeless doesn't mean they're easy targets for being a victim.

"We care about our homeless as much as we care about the residents who live in Summerlin or Spanish Trails, Henderson...wherever."


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