Police: Suspects 'looking for someone to shoot'

Sheriff says 60-year-old heading home after work became random target of pair

By FRANK CURRERI
REVIEW-JOURNAL


Late Monday evening, while John A. McCoy was winding down his shift at the Rainbow Club & Casino, Jamar Green and Terrence Bowser planned the rest of their night.

Police said the duo had been drinking Hennessy cognac and eating at the home of Green's mother.

The longtime friends then "decided that they should go and kill some people," according to an arrest report.

Bowser, 19, got behind the wheel of a 1988 Lincoln Town Car. Green, 20, was in the passenger seat, a 12-gauge shotgun on his lap.

They "took off in the Lincoln looking for someone to shoot," according to the report, which cites a taped Las Vegas police interview of Green.

McCoy's shift often ended at 11:45 p.m. or later, according to Wally Malmgren, the casino's assistant general manager.

On Monday, however, another supervisor arrived early to relieve him.

McCoy, 60, grabbed a bottle of water and his briefcase, called his wife, Dawn, and said goodbye to co-workers, Malmgren said. By about 11:30 p.m., he was headed home to North Las Vegas.

Just before midnight, McCoy's 1997 Chevy Lumina reached an intersection on Lone Mountain Road near Decatur Boulevard, where police said Green and Bowser spotted him and pulled alongside his vehicle.

"Green said they sized up McCoy and decided on him for a target," the report states.

As McCoy continued west on Lone Mountain, Bowser pulled alongside him as if to pass.

"It was at that time Green leveled the shotgun at McCoy and fired," the report states. Green fired three to four times at McCoy and his vehicle, police said.

The rounds ripped through the Lumina's driver's side door, hitting McCoy in the arm, hip and shoulder, police said. McCoy's car hopped a curb and crashed through a brick wall less than a mile from home.

McCoy told a woman who came to his aid that he had been shot twice by individuals driving a Lincoln Continental, according to the report.

McCoy died Tuesday morning at University Medical Center.

A North Las Vegas police officer arrested Green and Bowser not far from the scene, confiscating an empty shotgun, three spent shotgun shells from the car's passenger floor, a ski mask and black gloves as evidence.

Police charged Bowser and Green with the slaying. Green was also charged with shooting into an occupied vehicle.

Sheriff Bill Young on Wednesday characterized the crime as a gang-related act of random violence, carried out for thrills. At least one of the suspects is a member of the Rolling 60s Crips gang, police said Wednesday.

"It's purely a thrill kill from our perspective," Young said.

Some Las Vegas police officers on Wednesday embarked on an hours-long door-to-door mission to meet with Rolling 60s gang members, police said. Over the past year, some of the gang's hierarchy have been indicted or sentenced on federal charges, and others are still awaiting their day in court.

"I've had it with the Rolling 60s, and so has this community," Young said. "So if I was a Rolling 60s member, I'd vacate Las Vegas. Execution and assassinations will not be tolerated."

There are 5,900 known gang members in Las Vegas, compared to about 2,200 sworn police officers. The Rolling 60s have hundreds of members in the valley, and rely on violence to attract young members, police said.

"If you're in a culture of violence, how do you get recognized? By being violent," said Capt. Gary Schofield of the Metropolitan Police Department's Gang Unit. "You don't get recognized by being a peacemaker."

There were 225 gang-related shootings in Las Vegas' police jurisdiction in 2004. Sixteen of the shootings were homicides. That was down from 34 gang homicides the previous year.

McCoy, who served in the U.S. Navy, kept a concealed weapon in his car. He had it with him at the time of the shooting, family said.

"Obviously, he never had any chance to do anything about it (the shooting)," said McCoy's grieving cousin, Rene Lehtinen.

It's cases like these that cause me to rethink my rather nebulous view of the death penalty.

postcript: The brother-in-law of the deceased fellow was on the news last night. He stated that he feels sorry for the two suspects, as obviously no one has ever loved them. Wow.

Yet another reason I'm glad I left LV.

I've lived in LV metro for 15 years.
Never had a single problem.
Sometimes the local news seems like it's from another country.

Sure, I lived there for 20 and never had a problem. But there are definitely certain parts of town where this type of thing is more likely to happen, especially North Las Vegas. I grew up on the south side of town (Green Valley), which didn't seem to have many problems.

Just sick.