News briefs for December 31, 2001

Monday, Dec. 31, 2001 | 9:39 a.m.

Arrest made in LV man's slaying

Metro Police homicide detectives have arrested a Las Vegas man in connection with the murder of a 19-year-old man.

Cedrick Flemons, 20, was arrested Friday and was booked into the Clark County jail on charges of robbery and murder with a deadly weapon, Lt. Tom Monahan said.

Robert James Lashley's body was found by his roommate Thursday in an apartment the two shared at 100 S. Martin Luther King Blvd. Lashley died from a gunshot wound in the head.

SUV strikes 83-year-old man

An 83-year-old bicyclist was killed Sunday when he was hit from behind by a vehicle, North Las Vegas police said.

The man was riding his bicycle westbound in the 1400 block of Owens Avenue when he was hit by a 1999 Ford SUV about 10:15 p.m. The Ford was driven by an 18-year-old woman who was heading in the same direction, police said.

The rider was thrown several feet into the eastbound lanes. He was pronounced dead at the University Medical Center. His name was being withheld pending notification of relatives.

The name of the driver was not released because police determined the accident to be rider error and no charges have been filed against her.

Victim said to have had a knife

A knife-wielding man was shot to death Sunday night by a man who told Metro Police it was an act of self-defense, police said.

The dead man was identified today by the Clark County coroner's office as James Bonner, 33, of Las Vegas.

The incident occurred about 9:30 p.m. at 1550 E. Harmon Ave., where police arrived to find a man holding a gun and Bonner dead in the courtyard of an apartment complex.

The gunman and other witnesses told police Bonner was acting belligerent, throwing beer cans at neighborhood children and was brandishing a knife that police say they found at the scene.

The name of the shooter was not identified because he has not yet been charged with any crime. Police say they will complete the investigation and submit it to the district attorney's office to determine if charges are to be filed.

Laughlin crash kills woman

A 37-year-old Bullhead City, Ariz., woman died Saturday night after her car crashed head-on into a Ford pickup in Laughlin.

The woman, whose name was withheld today pending notification of relatives, died shortly after being taken to the Western Arizona Regional Medical Center in Bullhead City.

She was driving her Pontiac Grand Am north on Casino Drive in front of the Pioneer hotel in Laughlin when she hit the southbound truck driven by Brooke Bokath, 19, of Bullhead City.

Bokath was treated and released for minor injuries. She was not cited in the accident that is still under investigation, Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Mitchell Dosch said.

Pedestrian struck by pickup

A Las Vegas woman killed in an apparent hit-and-run accident Friday night has been identified as Kathee Anne Burkham, 52, the Clark County coroner's office said today.

Metro Police are looking for help in identifying the driver of a pickup believed to have been involved in the accident on Lake Mead Boulevard near Nellis Boulevard.

Police said Burkham was trying to cross the street outside the crosswalk when she was struck shortly after 8 p.m. Witnesses told police the driver fled east on Lake Mead in a dark green pickup, possibly with a camper shell.

Anyone with information on the vehicle or accident may call Secret Witness at 383-5555 or Detective William Redfairn at 229-3128.

Mother, daughter found shot

A disagreement over an upcoming wedding may have led to a mother killing her daughter, then turning the gun on herself, Metro Police said.

Grace K. Yao, 59, and Lisa K. Yao, 31, were found shot to death Friday about 7 a.m. in their home on Twain Avenue near Jones Boulevard, homicide Sgt. Kevin Manning said.

The mother may have surprised her daughter as she was getting ready for work Friday morning, shooting her with a handgun and then shooting herself, police said.

It appears that a motive may have been the daughter's upcoming marriage, police said.

Man killed on Bonanza is ID'd

A man who was run over by a vehicle Christmas Eve while lying in the street on Bonanza Road west of D Street has been identified, but his relatives still have not been located to inform them of his death, the Clark County coroner said today.

The accident -- Metro's 100th fatal of the year -- occurred about 8:15 p.m. when an eastbound 1985 Ford van, driven by a 53-year-old Las Vegas man, struck the pedestrian who was lying in the eastbound travel lane.

The man died at University Medical Center, but his identity remained a mystery for several days, officials said.

No charges were filed against the driver.