A birthday night out on Maryland Parkway ended in gunfire and grief after a 37-year-old man known as Anthony Anderson, who sometimes went by the name Ash Knight, was shot multiple times outside a local bar in the early hours of June 1. What started as a late-night celebration quickly turned into a crime scene when bystanders reported hearing shots, and Anderson was rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police say a 26-year-old friend was taken into custody and booked on an open murder charge, a development that relatives say has ripped open fresh wounds for Anderson's children and the tight circle of people who knew him. Loved ones have told reporters they want every detail of the case scrutinized as it moves toward the courtroom.
According to KTNV, detectives obtained an arrest report that lays out the final hours before the shooting. Anderson, his girlfriend and Jordan Garcia were celebrating the victim's birthday at The Dive Bar on South Maryland Parkway on May 31. The report says the group argued over who would drive home, an ordinary tension that allegedly escalated into a physical fight outside the bar around 4 a.m. on June 1. Anderson's girlfriend told police she saw flashes in her rearview mirror as she drove away, then circled back and found Anderson lying on the ground. Metro detectives counted seven spent shell casings in the parking lot and say the handgun used in the shooting belonged to Anderson and was sometimes shared between him and Garcia.
Family reaction
Relatives and close friends spent this week talking with reporters and trying to make sense of how a night among friends ended in a killing. They described Anderson as caring and loyal and said they reject any claim that the shooting was self-defense, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The paper reports that police said video from the scene appears to show Anderson shoving Garcia before the struggle that preceded the gunfire. A bartender who rushed outside to help later told authorities he heard Garcia say something close to, "I shot him and he tried to fight me." Loved ones told the Review-Journal that Anderson used the name Ash Knight because he disliked his birth name, and a relative summed up the family's anger by saying, "No one had the right to take his life."
What investigators say
Metro officials say detectives have been combing through surveillance and cellphone video as they try to pin down the exact sequence of events in the parking lot. Garcia was arrested at the scene, FOX5 Las Vegas reported. Authorities say he was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on an open murder charge with a deadly weapon and that investigators are still tracking down and interviewing witnesses. Police have urged anyone who might have filmed the fight or its aftermath to contact the LVMPD Homicide Section and share whatever video or information they have.
Court schedule and next steps
A preliminary hearing in the case has been set for August, when prosecutors are expected to lay out key evidence in court, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports. KTNV reported that during a police interview Garcia invoked his right to remain silent and requested a lawyer. For now, the case remains with Metro's homicide unit, where detectives are continuing to collect statements, videos and other evidence in the runup to that hearing.
Metro has asked anyone with information about the shooting to call the LVMPD Homicide Section or Crime Stoppers and has said there is no ongoing threat to the public, according to FOX5 Las Vegas. Relatives say they plan to keep pushing for accountability in court while also trying to hold things together for Anderson's children in the weeks ahead. Anyone with tips or video is urged to contact LVMPD Homicide or Crime Stoppers as investigators continue building the case.
