More charges against alleged supermarket gunman

Robert Macy

Wednesday, June 9, 1999 | 9:25 a.m.

Zane Michael Floyd allegedly tried to gun down eight people during an early morning supermarket killing spree, prosecutors said Tuesday as they leveled more charges against the 23-year-old bouncer.

Four employees were killed and one wounded in Thursday's shooting at an Albertsons grocery store two miles west of the Strip.

Three new attempted murder charges were filed based on reports from three people in the store who said Floyd tried to shoot them, said Clark County Chief Deputy District Attorney Bill Koot.

Floyd appeared in court for his arraignment this morning, and a preliminary hearing was set for June 25. Koot said he expected to call about a dozen witnesses at the hearing.

Curtis Brown, Floyd's public defender, said he had not discussed a plea with the defendant.

Floyd showed no emotion during his brief appearance in court.

Sexual assault charges and a kidnapping charge were filed, Koot said, after a 20-year-old escort service employee said she was raped by a man identified as "Zane."

She told police she went to his home, just a few blocks from the supermarket, about 90 minutes before the shooting.

The man she identified as Zane told the young woman he had 19 bullets and was going to kill the next 19 people he saw, according to an employee at the Love Bound escort service, who declined to give her name.

Police have not released the name of the woman who reported being raped.

The new charges bring to 15 the number of counts filed against Floyd.

Floyd was initially charged with four counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. The new complaint charges him with four counts of murder, four counts of attempted murder, five counts of sexual assault, one count of burglary and one count of kidnapping.

Floyd is scheduled to be arraigned on the 15 charges Wednesday morning.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police homicide Sgt. Kevin Manning said Floyd was being held under a suicide watch at the Clark County Detention Center.

Floyd has declined requests for interviews from the media, including The Associated Press, Metro Sgt. Philip Barrett said.

Twenty-five people were in the Albertsons supermarket, including 14 employees, when the rampage began shortly after 5 a.m. Thursday. Floyd allegedly gunned down some victims as he came upon them and chased others down.

Police still have not established a motive for the slayings, Capt. Greg Jolley said at a news conference Tuesday.

"We've received numerous calls and there are a lot of rumors flying," Jolley said.

Manning said the killing appeared to be a "random, senseless act of violence."

Manning said the pump-action shotgun used in the killings was purchased in January at a local gun shop and did not need to be registered under Nevada law.

Police know the number of shots fired inside the store, but would not divulge that number, Manning said.

Floyd, a former Marine who was honorably discharged, had no criminal record and nothing has been found in his background that would indicate he had the potential for violence, Manning said.