Colleagues: Man had threatened guard

Wednesday, July 14, 2004 | 9:43 a.m.

A 22-year-old alleged gang member charged with murdering a security guard at a Las Vegas Housing Authority complex on Jan. 20 had previously threatened the guard according to testimony on Tuesday from other guards who had worked at the complex.

The testimony was presented by prosecutors who hope it will help convince District Judge John McGroarty to allow the information about Markette Tillman's alleged previous encounters with Henderson resident Brian Wilcox to be part of Tillman's trial, which is scheduled to begin July 19.

Wilcox worked for Guardian Security, and Jeff Hirrsch was his fellow guard at the complex. Hirrsch testified that when Tillman was kicked off the property on several different occasions after trespassing, Tillman would say things like "he would be back and take care of business."

Hirrsch also said on another occasion Tillman threw bottles at Wilcox while the guards were chasing after Tillman.

Hirrsch said the confrontations escalated to the point where one night Tillman and his friends hurled pieces of concrete at Hirrsch, Wilcox and a third security guard, Michael Lampley. Hirrsch and Lampley both testified Tillman threw "chunk of concrete" that hit Wilcox in the chest.

While patrolling the Sherman Annex Apartments at 1710 H St. on the night he was killed, Wilcox and another security guard encountered several young men who had been banned from the property after repeatedly trespassing, police said.

The group became hostile and the guards decided to leave the area until more help could arrive. As Wilcox and the other guard raced away on their bicycles, someone shot at them. Wilcox was hit in the back, police said.

Prosecutors contend that someone was Tillman.

The hearing on whether the confrontations between Wilcox and Tillman will be admissible at trial was to continue this morning. It is expected to also include testimony about a drive-by shooting.

Tillman has been cleared of murder charges for the drive-by shooting that killed Brandon Cosby on Jan. 14, but Chief Deputy District Attorney Vicki Monroe said she planned to have a detective testify and he will say that the bullet shells from the drive-by shooting matched the shells from the bullet that killed Wilcox.