LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A man was shot and killed by his ex-wife in a south valley apartment on Friday morning, according to police.
A shooting was reported to LVMPD around 8:08 a.m. by a 911 caller who advised officers that she "had shot her husband." Arriving officers made contact with the female at the scene, who confirmed that she lived in the apartment and that her husband was still inside.
Officers entered the apartment and located an adult male believed to be in his 50s in a back bedroom, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Medical personnel later pronounced the man dead at the scene.
During a press conference, LVMPD Homicide Lieutenant Jason Johansson said a preliminary investigation by detectives revealed that the two parties involved were separated, and the man did not live in the apartment.
Detectives also determined that an altercation took place between the two parties, though the details of which are still unclear.
The female has been detained and is fully cooperating with police.
No other individuals were in the house, other than a dog that has since been taken by other relatives of the woman.
"What we need to investigate and determine is what caused the altercation and what lead up to the shooting," Lt. Johansson said during a briefing. "So we can determine if this is nefarious, if this a murder, or if this is a self-defense case."
Lt. Johansson also said police are currently investigating any previous police reports involving the two parties, though no information could be confirmed at the time.
"We have dealt with, in my opinion, a significant increase in domestic violence murders this year, this appears at this time to be a domestic violence-related murder," he said. "Often times things go unreported to our department, and by the time they are reported, unfortunately, we are in a circumstance such as this."
He continued, "It's frustrating because there are resources out there — both governmental and non-governmental — that can assist in these matters. I'm not gonna say that's always gonna prevent everything, but I do think there is a long step that can be made."
