Las Vegas lawyer and pregnant wife shot dead in custody battle

A LAS VEGAS lawyer and his pregnant wife were reportedly shot by a rival attorney after a child custody battle.

Dennis Prince, a personal injury and insurance lawyer, was killed in his office alongside his wife, Ashley, by Joseph Houston, according to local news outlets.

Police would not formally identify the victims or the gunman but confirmed three people were dead after a shooting in the Summerlin area.

The identities have not been independently verified by The Telegraph.

Multiple law enforcement sources told Channel 13 in Las Vegas that Ashley Prince and her former partner, Houston’s son, were engaged in a child custody battle. Prince was being represented by her new husband, Dennis, while Houston was acting for his son.

Police received an emergency call about the shooting at a multi-storey building around 10am yesterday. They revealed two hours later that the gunman was dead, having apparently turned the gun on himself.

Hundreds of people were evacuated from the building as officers went doorto-door to move them to the nearby Red Rock Casino Resort. Prince Law Group was said to be on the fifth floor.

“You have two deceased victims on the scene, and there’s no further threat to the community,” Sheriff Kevin Mcmahill said. “You’ve got people hunkered down following their active shooter protocols, we’re going door by door to make sure that everybody in there is OK and evacuating them.”

Robert Eglet, Prince’s former law partner, said he had four children and that his death was “not just a loss to his family, but also to the community”.

Prince volunteered with Substance Free Nevada, a charity that raises awareness about the dangers of drug abuse, according to a profile on his website.

Las Vegas police said in a statement: “This shooting occurred at a law office. There are two deceased victims, and the shooter is dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot. The multi-storey office building and hundreds of people inside were evacuated during this incident. The motive and the relationship between the victims and the shooter are under investigation.

Joseph Houston’s office did not respond to a request for comment.