LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A drunken argument between childhood friends led to a fatal shooting at a home near Charleston Boulevard and Fremont Street.
The incident happened last Monday in the 2000 block of Peyton Drive.
According to an arrest report, Isaiah Branch told detectives he had been contacted by Xzavier Maheia, a childhood friend who was visiting Las Vegas. He said Maheia wanted to see him so Branch and his girlfriend drove over to a home that Maheia was staying at and picked him up.
The three went to a liquor store and bought a bottle of vodka, which they drank while parked outside of the home. Then, they went back to buy another bottle of vodka and returned to the house.
Branch told detectives that he started feeling sick and wanted to leave but he struggled to get to the front door since he was drunk. He then claimed Maheia took his cell phone away from him and told him "not to worry about the phone calls and to stay the night." He then allegedly told Branch's girlfriend that she needed to go but she said she wasn't leaving without Branch.
That led to a fight and Branch's girlfriend told police that Maheia started punching her several times. She eventually had to go to Sunrise Hospital to be treated for a broken nose and bruised eye.
During the fight, Branch said he pulled Maheia off his girlfriend and the two men started fighting over a gun that was in Branch's pocket. Branch claims Maheia lunged at him so he fired several times because he "thought [he] was going to try and fight [him] for the gun again."
According to the report, Branch told police he couldn't remember how many times he fired the gun and that he denied shooting from the living room or following Maheia into the kitchen. When police contradicted that statement, saying there were cartridge casings in the living room, Branch said he "could not recollect how they got there." He also told detectives the "incident occurred very rapidly" and because he was drunk, he could not "recollect every detail."
Maheia's sister, who was at the house at the time of the shooting, told police that when Branch reached for the gun, Maheia "was not holding anything" and that without warning, Branch "began shooting at [Maheia] as [Maheia] ran through the kitchen."
In addition to the numerous cartridges throughout the house, police also looked at surveillance video, where the report states you could hear about 21 gunshots in rapid, continuous succession, someone screaming and yelling "I'll call the police", and a vehicle driving away from the scene.
Branch left the scene of the shooting but the report states he called police to let them know he was involved in the shooting, was parked a short distance away, and would wait for officers.
Branch was arrested and charged with open murder.
As of Sunday night, he is in custody at the Clark County Detention Center. Records show he's scheduled to be in court on June 27.
