Teen arrested in shooting of 14-year-old

Keith Paul

Friday, June 16, 2000 | 11:08 a.m.

A North Las Vegas teen was arrested Thursday in the shooting of a 14-year-old boy that first was believed to be an accidental shooting.

The 17-year-old male was booked into the North Las Vegas jail and charged with murder in connection with last Friday afternoon's shooting death of Cesar Enrique Rosales in the back yard of a house in the 2300 block of Oakwood Avenue, said Lt. Chris Larotonda of the North Las Vegas Police investigations unit.

The suspect first told police that he didn't know who shot the 14-year-old boy, saying the shot came from behind the fence. He later told police the gun went off accidentally while he was playing with it. Rosales was struck in the upper chest near the throat, Larotonda said.

Police heard several versions of what happened from other witnesses, but the stories didn't seem to fit together.

"Things didn't add up and we reinterviewed witnesses," Larotonda said. "After another interview with the suspect, it was determined it was an intentional act and not an accident."

The suspect, arrested about 10 a.m. Thursday, was held without bond in the North Las Vegas jail.