Accidents kill two drivers

Monday, July 19, 1999 | 11:38 a.m.

Metro Police are still investigating two fatal weekend accidents that ejected drivers from their cars.

The first occurred when a Dodge van rear-ended a Ford Bronco in the eastbound lanes of Bonanza Road Saturday morning, throwing out the driver of the Bronco, police said.

The force of the impact from the van caused the Bronco to roll onto Alfred L. Vierra, 78, of North Las Vegas, who had been driving the sport utility vehicle, police said.

Witnesses pushed the Bronco off Vierra, who was taken to University Medical Center where he died shortly after arriving. There were no other injuries in the accident.

The second accident involved four cars and happened about 3:45 a.m. Sunday, police said.

Police believe that a Chevrolet pickup driven by Edgar L. Aguilar, 19, of Lake Elsinore, Calif., failed to stop at a red light on eastbound Sahara at the Maryland Parkway intersection.

A Mazda pickup heading north on Maryland Parkway went through a green light and struck the Chevy truck sending it sliding across the intersection and into a Las Vegas Valley Water District vent in the center median just east of the intersection, police said.

Aguilar was thrown into the westbound lane of Sahara into the path of a BMW. The BMW ran over Aguilar, who was found dead at the scene by paramedics, police said.

A Dodge pickup at the intersection was showered with debris from the Chevy, but only minor injuries were suffered by the other parties involved in the accident.

The accidents marked the 55th and 56th fatalities in Metro's traffic detail's jurisdiction this year.

Police investigate possible homicide

Metro Homicide detectives are investigating the shooting deaths of a couple in eastern Las Vegas.

Police discovered the bodies of a 49-year-old woman and a 64-year-old man at 2:38 p.m. in their trailer in the 3000 block of Tularosa Lane, near Vegas Valley Drive and Stephanie Street.

The woman shot her husband, who was ill with cancer, and then shot herself, police said. Their names had not been released this morning.

Officers were tipped off by a friend of the couple's who said she received mail from the couple saying they had taken their lives.

Grant provides for bulletproof vests

North Las Vegas Police officers will be a safer on the job thanks to a grant that will go toward purchasing additional bulletproof vests for the department.

The $4,000 grant from the Bureau of Justice was secured by Sens. Harry Reid and Richard Bryan and Rep. Shelley Berkley, all D-Nev.

"Police officers are our first line of defense against crime in our neighborhoods and keeping them safe is a priority," Bryan said. "This funding allows us to protect a few more officers while they protect us."

Road openings and closings

A new traffic signal at the intersection of Sahara Avenue and Cimarron Road went into service today.

The light was turned on this morning and is the 16th new signal installed in the valley this year.

The Nevada Department of Transportation will be constructing a barrier rail on the Interstate 15 southbound on-ramp starting tonight at 9 p.m.

The ramp will be closed until 2 a.m. Tuesday morning as crews finish installing the guard rail.

Regulators target gun dealer's license

WASHINGTON -- Federal regulators are moving to revoke the firearm license of Nevada handgun distributor Bruce L. Jennings because of a domestic violence conviction 14 years ago, a newspaper reported.

Jennings, one of the country's largest wholesale distributors of handguns, is appealing the decision by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, The Washington Post reported in Saturday's editions.

Without the license, the newspaper said, Jennings could be forced to divest his company, B.L. Jennings Inc. based in Carson City.

Jennings was convicted in 1985 of assaulting his then-wife, Janice Jennings, the Post said. He plea-bargained the charge down to a misdemeanor, spent 90 days in jail, paid a fine and spent two years on probation, the newspaper said.

In 1996, Congress amended gun laws to make it illegal for anyone convicted of domestic violence abuse to ship, transport or possess firearms or ammunition and applied the change retroactively.

Press secretary to be stationed in Las Vegas

CARSON CITY -- Jack Finn, press secretary for Gov. Kenny Guinn, will now be stationed in Las Vegas.

Finn said the move, effective today, is to give Guinn a greater presence in Southern Nevada. He will be housed in the governor's office in Las Vegas. Traditionally the press secretary has been in Carson City with trips to Las Vegas.

Before joining Guinn, Finn was press secretary for former Rep. John Ensign, R-Nev.