Arrests made in killing of auto repair manager

Jace Radke

Thursday, April 29, 1999 | 11:08 a.m.

Metro homicide detectives, who have been piecing together why an auto repair shop manager was shot and killed more than a year ago, believe they may now be able to close the case after making two arrests Wednesday.

Keith Joseph Shanley, 29, and Steven Acosta, 33, were arrested Wednesday morning, and a third man police believe is connected to the shooting, Kurt William Johnson, 44, was arrested last month. All three men were arrested on charges of murder with a weapon, attempted murder with a weapon and conspiracy to commit murder, police said.

Police believe the three men are connected to the February 1998 shooting death of George Veit, a 42-year-old manager at Best Auto. Veit was shot three times while at the repair shop at 1226 N. Nellis Blvd.

Detectives originally thought Veit may have been shot by an angry customer, but developments in the case led investigators to believe he was mistakenly shot by the gunman.

"We had people come forward with information, and now it looks like Veit may have been mistaken for another employee who was the intended victim," Sgt. Ken Hefner said.

Police believe Shanley broke up with his girlfriend of six years in September 1997. The girlfriend then started a relationship with an employee of Best Auto, police said. Shanley had shot at the house where his ex-girlfriend and the intended victim lived in October 1997, police said.