Card dealer shot and killed by ex-boyfriend, police say

Angie Wagner

Thursday, Nov. 11, 1999 | 10:08 a.m.

A man wielding a gun shot his ex-girlfriend as she dealt cards at a downtown casino, then chased her through the casino, firing shots until she collapsed.

When it was over, Larry Darnell Taylor calmly handed his gun over to another card dealer and waited for arrest Wednesday.

"He went to the table and began shooting," said Las Vegas police Lt. Wayne Petersen said. "She tried to run away. She actually did run out of the pit."

The 37-year-old victim, whose name was not released, died inside the Golden Gate hotel-casino.

Police said Taylor, also 37, and the woman had previously dated. Taylor had left town and recently returned to Las Vegas. He had booked a hotel room at the casino where his ex-girlfriend worked.

Petersen said that at about 10:38 a.m., Taylor approached the victim as she was dealing cards to blackjack players and began firing shots at her. The woman tried to run out of the casino pit, even ducking under a roulette table, witnesses said. She then ran into the women's restroom with the gunman still following her.

"A dealer came running in and said, 'My God, somebody's shooting,' " Golden Gate employee Pat Smith said.

Witnesses told police they heard several more shots in the restroom. The woman then ran out of the restroom and collapsed onto the casino floor. Taylor shot her again, Petersen said.

Taylor then handed his gun to another dealer and security guards tackled him to the ground.

He was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on charges of murder and attempted murder.

Petersen said police were unsure what prompted the shooting.

"They had an apparent dating relationship. We don't know what caused the shooting today," he said.

The casino closed for business for several hours after the incident.