News briefs for August 15, 2002

Thursday, Aug. 15, 2002 | 9:45 a.m.

Murder-suicide victims ID'd

A couple killed in a murder-suicide late Tuesday have been identified as 32-year-old Tigest Amha and 50-year-old Behaily Shiffraw.

Metro Police said the couple were arguing in front of their home in the 7500 block Edgerton Drive, near Tenaya Way and Russell Road, in front of their 5-year-old son. The boy ran to a neighbor's house followed by his mother, Amha.

Shiffraw chased her, pushed his way into the neighbor's house and fired a shotgun blast hitting Amha in the chest, killing her, police said. Shiffraw then went back to his house and killed himself, police said.

The child was taken upstairs by the the neighbor after the father broke into the house. It was not clear how much of the killing the boy saw, police said.

Bicyclist killed by car identified

A 27-year-old bicyclist killed in an accident Tuesday was identified as 27-year-old Juan M. Nunez of Las Vegas.

Nunez was riding a bike on the sidewalk along Nellis Boulevard near Copper Sage Street Tuesday about 9:30 p.m. when he apparently started falling off the bike and rode off the curb into the path of an oncoming car, Metro Police said.

The car struck Nunez, knocking him off the bike and killing him. Police said the cause of the collision appears to be error on the part of Nunez.

Police investigate sexual assaults

Metro Police are investigating a series of sexual assaults occurring in the Las Vegas Valley.

A man has contacted women sitting at bus stops and offering them rides. After driving away from the area, he sexually assaults the woman, police said.

A possible suspect vehicle has been described as a red or green two-door car with a rear spoiler.

Anyone with information in these or similar crimes is asked to call Metro's sexual assault unit at 229-3421 or Secret Witness at 385-5555.

Use of false passports alleged

Eight Yugoslavians have been charged with attempting to use a false, forged or altered passport at McCarran International Airport on Aug. 7 according to federal indictments filed Wednesday.

Named in the indictments are Valdete Hebovic, Lumturije Shega, Smailj Dzuretovic, Drane Dusevic, Fatmir Shega, Marko Capnojevic, Elion Berdika and Hamzije Aslanovic.

The indictments state that false Slovenian passports were presented to Immigration and Naturalization Service inspectors at the airport.

Other indictments handed down Wednesday by a federal Grand Jury included an alleged credit card fraud case involving several Strip casinos.

John Armitage, Kingsley McPhillips, Neil Thompson and Anthony Williams are all named in the 18-count indictment that alleges conspiracy and use of counterfeit access devices.

According to the indictment the defendants obtained counterfeit cards with the victims' actual names and account numbers and then took out cash advances at Mandalay Bay, Excalibur, Luxor, O'Shea's and the Flamingo on July 31.

The indictment states that $21,500 was charged to the victims' cards.

Both northbound and southbound lanes

on Paradise Road between Desert Inn Road and Sands Avenue will occur on Sunday, but not at the same time. Construction hours while the monorail track support is being built will run from 5 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Sunday.

archive