Shooting is apparent accident

David Kihara

Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2004 | 11:14 a.m.

A man apparently accidentally shot an acquaintance in the head Tuesday night in downtown Las Vegas while showing off a new gun, police said.

Witnesses told police that the alleged shooter had bought the gun on the street and was trying to figure out how it worked when it went off at about 7 p.m., Metro Police Sgt. Kevin Manning said.

The 30-year-old male victim was "still hanging on" in critical condition at University Medical Center this morning, Manning said. But the victim, who police identified only by his street name "Bunt," is expected to die from the gunshot wound, police said.

The bullet went from one from one side of the victim's head to the other and remained in his head, Manning said.

Bunt and the alleged shooter, whom police identified only as "Wicked," were looking at the gun with at least two other friends or acquaintances in the victim's Fremont Villas apartment at 121 N. 15th St. near Fremont Street when Wicked apparently accidently shot Bunt, police said.

Wicked and others in the apartment fled the scene and police were still looking for them this morning, Manning said.

"That's what we do we, after all -- we look for the wicked," Manning joked.

Police said Wicked was described as a 22-year-old black man with a shaved head, last seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and black pants.

If the shooting victim dies, the person who shot him will likely be charged with manslaughter, Manning said. If the victim survives, the person who shot him will likely be charged with assault with a deadly weapon.

From the initial investigation, it does not appear that the shooting was intentional and there was "no conflict" between the victim Bunt and the shooter, Manning said. It is being treated as an "accidental discharge of a firearm," he said.

Two individuals -- a man and a woman whose identities were not released by police Tuesday night -- witnessed the shooting, police said. Both individuals, who remained at the scene to answer questions from police detectives, refused to be interviewed by the Sun on Tuesday night.

The police were alerted to the shooting by a 911 call, Manning said.

One woman who was familiar with Bunt said that even though the victim "was the gangster type, he was cool."

"He was a nice guy," said Tiffany, a woman who said she had known Blunt for about two months. She also referred to him as "J.T."