What police describe as a robbery over marijuana in east Las Vegas ended with a 59-year-old man shot dead in his car, and a 19-year-old now locked up without bail.
Las Vegas police arrested the teen on Thursday in connection with an April 10 shooting that left Victor Powe dead inside his vehicle, authorities said. Detectives say the attack was caught on surveillance video that shows several people walking up to Powe’s car, then gunfire ripping through a window. The Clark County coroner identified Powe as the victim and said he was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to 8 News Now, investigators pulled a backpack from Powe’s car that held a large bag that appeared to be marijuana with an address written on it, along with two smaller bags with different addresses stashed in the center console. Surveillance video reviewed by detectives shows three people closing in on the vehicle, one apparently acting as a lookout, and someone on the driver’s side firing two shots into the rear passenger-door window, shattering glass and hitting Powe.
Police served a search warrant at a nearby apartment and reported finding clothing that matched what the suspects wore in the surveillance footage, plus a cartridge case, a rifle magazine and rifle cartridges, 8 News Now reported.
KTNV reported that detectives identified 19-year-old Elijah Harris as a suspect and booked him on counts of open murder with a deadly weapon, attempted robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery. Court records show Harris is being held without bail at the Clark County Detention Center and was scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday. Witnesses told officers that three men approached the driver just before the shooting and that Powe tried to speed away, only to crash into a nearby structure.
Police Say Marijuana Rip Was Planned
The arrest report frames the killing as the fallout from a planned marijuana robbery, and investigators say the video suggests Harris was not surprised when others pulled guns. Harris told detectives he did not know the others planned to rob Powe but later admitted he “should have known something was up,” according to 8 News Now. Police say he first gave them a fake address, then changed his story and claimed he lied because he was scared.
Metro homicide detectives say the search for the remaining suspects is still active and that they are not yet releasing more identifying information.
Charges And What Happens Next
Booking records cited by FOX5 show Harris faces one count of open murder with a deadly weapon, attempted robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery, and he remains held without bail at the Clark County Detention Center.
Metro police are asking anyone with information about the case to contact the LVMPD Homicide Section or call Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555 as investigators continue to track down the other suspects.
