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North Las Vegas complex overrun with squatters

Posted at 5:56 PM, Jun 08, 2016
and last updated 2016-06-08 23:03:17-04

The squatters are back, continuing to take over a North Las Vegas apartment complex. Now one man says he was almost killed.

"I feel frustrated and angry at the same time, no matter what you try to do this is what happens," said Uriel Urbaez.
 
It's un update to a story we first told you about last month at the La Esperanza Apartments on East Carey Avenue near Donna Street.
 
"I'm more nervous for my kids than for myself and it's a wake up call you know, cause who wants to be killed in front of their children," Urbaez said.
 
He is living in fear after he said he almost died as the squatter situation at his complex continues to spiral out of control. Urbaez said he was shot in front of his apartment, the bullet grazing his head.
 
"I grabbed the gun, you know and I say you going to shoot me in front of my family, you know and the next thing I know, boom, you know, I don't, from there I just saw white, I was bleeding," Urbaez explained the confrontation.
 
The city of North Las Vegas says it's been attacking this problem head on, the squatter task force has been at the property multiple times since our last story aired. They've kicked people out and boarded up units. City officials and people living in the complex say the squatters come back, sometimes just hours later. 
 
The apartments themselves are also in serious disrepair. There are broken windows, large whole in walls, graffiti and glass everywhere.
 
The city says it's been doing everything it can but it's not getting any help from the property owner.
 
"We've gotten little to no cooperation from the property managers or the property owners to become in compliance with city regulation," said city of North Las Vegas Public Information Officer Delen Goldberg.
 
We tried to question Triumph Property Management about the ongoing problems but were told the company was fired after our last story aired. As for the owner, he lives out of state and isn't returning our calls.
 
The city says it has no plans of stopping the fight. The squatter task force will keep responding, but if the owner doesn't start playing ball and securing the property, he'll have to foot their bill.