Teen arrested in Strip shooting; victim wounded in spine
A teen has been charged with attempted murder in a November shooting on the Strip that left a man seriously injured, according to police and court records.
Joshua Estrada, 17, of Las Vegas, was booked at the Clark County Detention Center on Nov. 24 on charges of attempted murder, battery with use of a deadly weapon resulting in substantial bodily harm and carrying a concealed weapon without a permit.
A Las Vegas police arrest report for Estrada released Thursday indicates the charges stem from a previously unreported shooting at 2:21 a.m. on Nov. 7 in front of the CVS pharmacy, 3645 Las Vegas Blvd. South at Flamingo Road.
Police wrote in a heavily redacted arrest report that officers found a man on the curb near the store suffering from a gunshot wound to the abdomen. The victim was rushed to University Medical Center, where it was determined the “bullet struck his spinal cord, depriving him from the use of his legs, which medical personnel are not sure he will be able to recover from,” police wrote.
The man told police he was walking on the Strip with family members when he saw a fight unfolding in front of the CVS.
“He approached a group that was involved in a verbal and physical altercation,” police said. “(He) attempted to calm the persons involved down and when he turned around, he was shot.”
Las Vegas police reviewed an extensive amount of surveillance video from the CVS and adjacent Strip properties. The video surveillance showed a melee, the shooting and the gunman fleeing. Two guns and a shirt discarded by the assailant were found nearby in an alley. Police took stills of the gunman from the video, and an officer recognized the person as Estrada, police said.
Police said a video from Estrada’s Facebook page showed him wearing the same shirt that the gunman wore during the shooting. Estrada was arrested Nov. 23 in the parking lot of the Nevada Parole and Probation office on Bonanza Road. Police said he requested a lawyer and did not speak with detectives.