Argument ends in fatal shooting

Keith Paul

Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2001 | 9:51 a.m.

A 24-year-old man was accused Tuesday of shooting to death the boyfriend of a woman he was pursuing after an angry exchange near McCarran International Airport.

Christian Caples was held on a murder charge this morning in the Clark County jail.

Caples is accused of shooting 31-year-old Patrick Allocca Jr. about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday on Rent A Car Road, near several car rental businesses. Allocca of Delray Beach, Fla., died at 1:24 p.m. at University Medical Center.

Metro Police arrested Caples based on evidence and several witnesses' accounts of the shooting, investigators said. Witnesses told police that Caples was in his truck and Allocca was standing outside the truck, arguing with him.

Caples is accused of shooting Allocca once through the driver's side window, said Lt. Tom Monahan of Metro's homicide unit.

"Once he shot him, he got out of the truck and shot him several more times after the threat was gone," Monahan said. "We believe we have enough evidence to make an arrest for murder."

Apparently Caples and Allocca's girlfriend were friends, but Caples was pursuing more than just a friendship, police said. The situation erupted Tuesday as Allocca and the woman were returning a rental car and Allocca spotted Caples. Allocca confronted Caples, Monahan said.

Detectives are still trying to determine why Caples was in the area.

A tire iron was found near Allocca, but detectives are still trying to determine how it got there. The driver's side window of Caples' truck was smashed out, but detectives are trying to determine if it was hit by the tire iron or if it was broken by a shot fired by Caples at the Allocca, Monahan said.

When officers arrived at the scene, Caples was there and was taken into custody without incident.

Tim Connick, who was delivering lunch to workers at one of the car rental businesses, said he heard the shots, but didn't think much of it at first.

Then he saw a man in the street and another man leaning against a pickup talking on a cellular phone.

"He was just talking. He was just calm," Connick said.

Connick said he saw that Allocca had been shot three times in the chest.

As Caples was standing near his truck after the shooting, Connick said the woman was sitting on the curb a little bit away crying.

"It was just a horrible day. A horrible day for the guy shot and a horrible day for the guy who shot him," Connick said.