Police: Suspect in Las Vegas road-rage killing thought people were ‘after him’

By Pashtana Usufzy

Published Friday, Feb. 20, 2015 | 10:37 a.m.

Updated Friday, Feb. 20, 2015 | 3:28 p.m.

A teen accused of fatally shooting a Las Vegas woman after a reported road-rage incident said someone had been threatening to hurt his family and he was worried somebody was after him, his friends told Metro Police.

Erich Milton Nowsch Jr., 19, was arrested Thursday after a standoff with police on counts including murder and attempted murder in the shooting that killed 44-year-old Tammy Meyers.

Meyers was taking her 15-year-old daughter home from a driving lesson in a school parking lot on Feb. 12 when a silver car drove alongside them, the daughter, Kristal Meyers, told police.

She said she reached over to honk the horn, and the car spun sideways in front of them, blocking their vehicle, according to a police report released today.

Kristal Meyers said the male driver, who was about 6 feet tall, told them, “I’m gonna come back for you and your daughter.”

After returning home, Tammy Meyers got her son, Brandon Meyers, and went looking for the silver car, which they found and followed, police said.

Brandon Meyers, who was armed with a handgun, told police that as they were following the car, a passenger began shooting at them, the report said. He said he didn't shoot back.

Brandon Meyers said they drove back to their house, and he ran to the driver’s side to help his mother out of the car. He said he saw the headlights of the silver car approaching and pushed her back into the vehicle, according to the report.

He said he had moved toward the house when a passenger in the car leaned out of the window and began shooting, the report said.

He said he fired three shots in the direction of the silver car, which backed out of the cul-de-sac and fled, the report said.

Brandon Meyers turned to see his mother on the ground, bleeding from the head, police said.

Tammy Meyers was shot in the head and died Saturday after being taken off life support at University Medical Center.

When questioned Tuesday by police, Nowsch, who was in custody on an unrelated warrant, denied any involvement in the incident, according to the report.

Police didn’t indicate how Nowsch became a suspect but said his name was “brought up” during the investigation.

The day after the shooting, Nowsch showed up at a friend’s apartment. He told his friend, who was home with his girlfriend, that he thought someone in the car at the school parking lot was looking for him, according to the police report.

Nowsch said another friend picked him up in a silver Audi sedan and there was “an exchange” between the two cars before the other vehicle started following them, the report said.

His friend's girlfriend quoted him as saying he “got those kids” who were “after him,” police said. He said he fired 22 shots in the cul-de-sac, police said.

Nowsch reportedly told the pair people had been threatening to hurt his mother and her baby, according to the report.

The arrest report makes no mention of the relationship between the Meyers family and Nowsch.

Tammy Meyers’ husband, Robert Meyers, told reporters Thursday that his family knew Nowsch.

“We knew how bad he was, but we didn’t know he was this bad,” he said.

Robert Meyers said his wife had given Nowsch food and money.

He said she took a motherly interest in the boy after his father’s death in 2010.

Nowsch is expected to appear in court Monday morning.