Las Vegas officer pleads innocent in drive-by shooting

Friday, Feb. 7, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

A judge Thursday denied a motion to have Ronald Mortensen's bail reduced despite a defense attorney's argument that prosecutors cannot be reasonably sure of a conviction.

A grand jury indicted Mortensen in January in connection with the Dec. 28 shooting of 21-year-old Daniel Mendoza.

The state's key grand jury witness was Christopher Brady, 25, a former police officer who came forward 36 hours after the shooting.

Brady, who since has resigned from the police department, told grand jurors he and Mortensen were out "harassing dopers and bangers" the night of the shooting. He described a drunken driving spree that ended with shots fired from the window of his truck. Brady said he didn't know the shots hit Mendoza until he saw televised reports the next day.

archive