Three people wounded in NLV gun battle

Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2003 | 11:28 a.m.

Three people were hospitalized this morning and charges were pending after an allegedly drug-related gun battle that took place in North Las Vegas, police said.

According to Officer Justin Roberts, North Las Vegas police spokesman:

Shortly after midnight North Las Vegas Police were called to the 1900 block of Harvard Street regarding arguing and gun shots. When officers arrived they found 23-year-old Juan Deleos in the street. He had been shot in the torso.

Investigators believe Sarah Rivera, 22, and Hector Guijosa, 25, had planned to rob Deleos and Delval Garcia-Galacion, 27, two men who live on that block.

Rivera and Guijosa were invited into the duo's apartment under the pretense of selling something to Deleos and Garcia-Galacion, then Guijosa allegedly pulled out a gun and the men began fighting and bullets flew. Garcia-Galacion then got a gun and returned fire, Roberts said.

"Bullets were going off everywhere," Roberts said.

Rivera and Guijosa fled and drove themselves to Lake Mead Hospital. They were later transported to University Medical Center where Rivera is in stable condition and Guijosa is in critical condition, Roberts said.

Deleos is at University Medical Center and in critical condition this morning, but he is expected to survive, Roberts said.

When police arrived at the apartment, Garcia-Galacion had tried unsuccessfully to hide his gun, Roberts said.

Initially police filed charges of attempted murder against Garcia-Galacion but those were dropped when investigators learned of the robbery attempt, Roberts said.