Metro Police are investigating the killing of two security guards at Arizona Charlie’s Decatur on Dec. 30, 2017.
Published Saturday, Dec. 30, 2017 | 12:51 p.m.
Updated Saturday, Dec. 30, 2017 | 8:06 p.m.
Two security guards responding to a routine disturbance call on the fourth floor of Arizona Charlie’s Decatur were shot and killed this morning, according to Metro Police.
The gunman’s escape attempt took him off the property near Decatur Boulevard and U.S. 95, and after he pointed a gun at citizens and failed to steal multiple vehicles, he shot himself in the head, Lt. Dan McGrath said.
Police tonight identified the suspect as Christopher Olague, 29. The Utah man is hospitalized with a non-survivable head wound.
“Everybody wants to know who he is; what his history is, and why he would do (this),” McGrath said earlier today.
The gunman opened fire at 6:37 a.m.
The guards, a man and a woman in their 40s and in uniform, were dispatched to the room regarding a disturbance call, McGrath said.
A woman contacted security saying that she had been in a dispute with two men who kicked her out of the room, police said tonight. The security officers responded and were shot while inside the room. The room was registered to the woman.
The female guard was armed, but did not draw her gun, police said. Other security and medics provided first aid, but the victims died at the scene.
“There’s no question about what they were doing there,” McGrath said about the victims. They went “to do their job.”
Police tracked Olague out of the property and into a neighborhood on Brush Street, about a quarter-mile from the crime scene, McGrath said. There, he attempted to enter a home with intentions of stealing a car, but the residents closed the door on him.
Olague also unsuccessfully tried to take a car on the street, McGrath said. A few people in the area reported seeing him, and that he was holding a gun.
Officer presence began suffocating his escape, and Olague jumped a wall to a house on adjacent Evergreen Avenue. He tried to force his way inside through the backyard, McGrath said. A woman was able to fend off his entrance and lock the door.
There were four children inside, he said.
In his last moments, Olague then went to the garage area of the house and into a laundry room where he shot himself in the head, McGrath said. He hadn’t died as of 11 a.m., but he wasn’t expected to survive.
Detectives were trying to determine who the man was as they investigated at the two shooting scenes, McGrath said.
Olague has a criminal history in Utah, ranging from drug use to child endangerment, and he’s served time in prison, police said.
McGrath said the death of the two innocent victims concerns police, and that Arizona Charlie’s, its security and Metro have a strong partnership.
The hotel’s security has a “good reputation” and it does a “fantastic job,” he added.
Today is a “sad day” for the families of the victims to hear that the guards were killed while on duty, McGrath said. That they were killed “responding to what appears to be a routine call into a room,” he said.
The hotel operator, Golden Entertainment, which recently acquired the property, has made counseling available to employees.
“On Saturday morning, we lost two of our team members to a senseless act of violence at our Arizona Charlie’s Decatur property. These individuals were security officers dedicated to protecting our guests and other team members,” an email statement reads. “Through the swift and professional actions of our security and surveillance team, (Metro) was able to apprehend the suspect quickly.”
The statement continued, "Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the victims during this difficult time.”
Hours after the shooting, a woman entering the casino, prompted by a large Metro crime scene investigations vehicle parked outside, asked what had occurred. She appeared shocked when someone told her there had been a shooting.
Two men exiting the casino were talking amongst themselves, one telling the other details about the killings.
By mid-afternoon, the Metro vehicle remained stationed outside the casino. Children rode their bicycles in the surrounding neighborhood where the man decided to take his life.
The victims, further described as being black, will be identified by the Clark County coroner’s office.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Metro at 702-828-3521 or via email [email protected]. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555 or online at crimestoppesrofnv.com.
