News briefs for Dec. 16, 2002

Monday, Dec. 16, 2002 | 11 a.m.

Man dies in mobile home park shooting

A 34-year-old Las Vegas man was shot and killed in the 6300 block of West Tropicana Avenue about 7 p.m. on Sunday.

Eric Paul DeMott, 34, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Metro Police patrol officers arrived at the West Valley Mobile Park in response to 911 calls of an argument and quickly disarmed the suspect, Metro Lt. Tom Monahan said.

Christopher Hubble, 23, was taken into custody and booked into the Clark County Detention Center on suspicion of murder with a weapon.

Neighbors in the mobile home park told Metro Police that they heard screaming between two men shortly before gunfire erupted.

Witnesses said the suspect was driving erratically and at a high rate of speed through the mobile home park shortly before shots were heard.

Couple disappear from lake camp

Authorities are seeking public assistance in finding a San Francisco couple missing since Nov. 18, the National Park Service said.

Jau Inn Huang and Yu Hua Chu, both 48, checked in at a Lake Mead campground on Nov. 17.

Campground hosts contacted National Park Service rangers Nov. 28, reporting that the couple had abandoned personal property, including a tent, at the campground.

When investigators contacted the couple's family, it was discovered that no one had heard from the couple since Nov. 18.

The investigation into the couple's disappearance is continuing. Anyone with information on the missing couple can contact the National Park Service at (702) 293-8998.

Winter storm due in mountains

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm watch for the Spring Mountains west of Las Vegas for tonight, and there is a chance of rain the the Las Vegas Valley.

A series of winter storms pounded Northern Nevada and Northern California over the weekend with high winds, rain and mountain snows.

The Weather Service is predicting snow above 5,000 feet in the mountains, but a fraction of an inch of rain in the valley tonight. Showers could continue into Tuesday morning in the valley.

By Wednesday valley high temperatures are supposed to be in the 50s and the lows will be in the 30s, about normal for this time of year.

15 charged in student's drowning

Fifteen students at the University of Nevada, Reno have been charged with campus violations in connection with the October drowning of a classmate, officials said.

The students, once members or pledges of the now-defunct Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, face suspension or explusion, said Rita Laden, UNR's assistant vice president of Student Life Services.

The university hopes the actions will provide closure in the wake of the drowning, she said. The violations range from illegal swimming in Manzanita Lake on the campus to the more serious charge of hazing, she added.

"We want the university to get back to normal," Laden told the Reno Gazette-Journal. "It's still a tragedy, an awful thing that happened."

The charges stem from the Oct. 10 death of Albert Santos, 18, of Las Vegas. He drowned while swimming in the lake with eight other pledges about 1:20 a.m.

Santos, who could not swim, had a blood alcohol content of 0.062 when his body was recovered, according to campus police.

Also last month, UNR banned Pi Kappa Alpha from operating on campus indefinitely.