A man accused of shooting and killing a Good Samaritan during an alleged flower theft in west Las Vegas is due in court Friday. Police say the victim stepped in to stop the theft, turning a roadside confrontation into a deadly shooting.
Rodger Harrison III faces charges of open murder, robbery and carrying a concealed weapon without a permit, according to court records cited by FOX5 Las Vegas. Harrison was scheduled to appear Friday afternoon.
Police Say Flower Theft Turned Deadly Near Jones And Upland
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officers responded around 5 p.m. Thursday to the area of Jones and Upland boulevards near Interstate 11, where they found a car that appeared to have struck a tree, FOX5 reported. Inside was a Hispanic man in his late 30s suffering from a gunshot wound.
Police took the wounded man to University Medical Center, where he later died from his injuries. Investigators said Harrison approached a woman selling flowers and tried to steal them before the victim intervened; officers later arrested Harrison a couple of blocks away without incident.
Harrison Faces Murder And Robbery Charges
The open-murder charge is tied to the fatal shooting, while the robbery allegation stems from the reported attempt to take the flowers. The concealed-weapon charge alleges Harrison carried a hidden firearm without the required permit.
The charges are allegations, and Harrison is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. Friday's hearing is expected to mark the first public court appearance in the case as investigators and prosecutors continue working through the shooting.
