Police looking for two in fatal park shooting

By Mary Manning

Published Monday, July 27, 2009 | 2:41 p.m.

Updated Monday, July 27, 2009 | 4:35 p.m.

Metro Police are asking for the public's help in finding two young men suspected in the shooting death of a deaf man in a park in the northwest Las Vegas Valley early Sunday.

Police identified the man who was shot as 38-year-old Kevin Franchow, who used to exercise in the park. Besides being deaf, he also suffered from several other health problems, police said. Franchow died after emergency medical crews took him to University Medical Center, police said.

Franchow was deaf and had the mental capacity of a 10-year-old, police said this afternoon. He could not hear any commands of the two men who are suspected of shooting him, police said.

Homicide Lt. Lew Roberts said that the man was "executed" at Ansan Park on West Ducharme Avenue, near Buffalo and Alta drives.

At 12:25 a.m. Sunday, police discovered Franchow with several gunshot wounds in both the front and back of his torso, police said.

Police said two black teenagers or young adults fled the park shortly after the shots were fired, according to witnesses.

The first juvenile was described as 5-foot-6-inches tall, heavyset and wearing a red sweatshirt and baggy jeans. The second was described as 5-foot-10-inches tall and wearing a white T-shirt and baggy jeans.

The two suspects ran north through the park and left in a newer model silver-colored car, police said.

The man who was shot did not have any cash on him, police said.

Shortly before the shooting, two suspects matching the shooters' descriptions committed a robbery at the park, police said.

A woman was punched in the face and her cell phone taken, police said.

Anyone with information about this slaying is asked to call Metro's Homicide Section at (702) 828-3521, or to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at (702) 385-5555.