Two more found dead in gang-plagued NLV area

Keith Paul

Wednesday, Aug. 22, 2001 | 11:23 a.m.

Two men were found dead this morning in a North Las Vegas neighborhood where gang-related killings and gunfire have become so common that residents rarely bother to look out the window after hearing shots.

The two dead men were found about 6:40 a.m. in the 2300 block of West Cartier Avenue near Martin Luther King Boulevard and Carey Avenue. But North Las Vegas Police say it's likely the men were dead hours before police were called.

"We talked with some of the residents who said they heard gunshots about 4 a.m., but they didn't call police or look out the window," said Lt. Art Redcay, a police spokesman. "They said it's not uncommon to hear gunshots."

One of the men was found by a wood fence on the lawn of a home, and the other man was found in a dirt lot across the street. Police said this morning they didn't know the identity of either man. No arrests have been made, and no suspects have been identified.

Detectives are unsure whether the killings are linked to the 13 other gang-related homicides in the area since January.

"We are still trying to determine who they are and what happened. We don't know if it is gang-related or drug-related or something else," Redcay said.

The most recent gang-related slaying in the area occurred July 22, when 19-year-old Vernon Craft was shot to death in the 2000 block of West Lake Mead Boulevard.

Craft also had been accused of a gang-related drive-by shooting and homicide. Both times the charges were dropped because the evidence didn't pan out or a victim recanted.

Police say Craft was likely shot in retaliation for the slaying of Charles B. Fields the night before Craft's slaying. Robert Lee Austin, 37, was arrested July 27 in connection with Fields' killing -- which was in Metro Police's jurisdiction.

Prosecutors have said they believe Fields' killing was linked to the 1999 shooting death of James "June Bug" Lee, who apparently was killed after one of Fields' friends was shot in the buttocks over a drug dispute.

But gang members are not the only people who have been caught up in the violence. Area residents just going about their daily lives have been killed in the violence. On Feb. 15 church deacon Floyd Wilson was killed by a bullet -- apparently meant for a gang member -- as he was driving down Carey Avenue.

The violence has led to 13 killings -- nine in North Las Vegas and four in West Las Vegas -- in the area around Martin Luther Kind Boulevard from Carey Avenue to Owens Avenue. It is an area that borders both North Las Vegas Police and Metro Police's territory.

Anyone with information in today's slayings are asked to call North Las Vegas Police at 633-9111 or Secret Witness at 385-5555.