A Nevada man was fatally shot following his birthday celebration, allegedly by his roommate who had been marking the occasion alongside him.
Anthony Anderson, 37, was pronounced dead at a Las Vegas, Nevada, hospital early Monday morning, shortly after he was allegedly shot by 26-year-old Jordan Garcia. Las Vegas Metro Police Department authorities said at a press conference — carried by local ABC affiliate KTNV — that the two men were friends. An arrest report obtained by KTNV indicated the pair had been celebrating Anderson’s birthday at the Dive Bar, a night that escalated into a physical altercation and ended in tragedy.
According to the arrest report, Anderson and Garcia were at the Dive Bar on the night of May 31 along with Anderson’s girlfriend, who was not identified. The couple, both of whom were Garcia’s roommates, had picked him up from his workplace earlier that evening.
Police said Anderson’s girlfriend — whom they interviewed following the alleged shooting — told them Anderson and Garcia had “expressed affection for one another” and called each other “brothers” throughout the night. She noted that while Garcia had a few drinks, Anderson drank heavily. She agreed to serve as the designated driver and take all three home.
When it was time to leave around 4 a.m., Anderson reportedly insisted on driving, sparking an argument between him and Garcia. According to Anderson’s girlfriend, Garcia attempted to convince his friend to let her drive, but the two men continued to quarrel.
Anderson’s girlfriend got into the driver’s seat while the two men kept talking outside. Their verbal dispute then turned physical, and she looked out the car window to find them tussling on the ground. She got out to try to break up the fight as a bystander from the bar filmed the altercation.
After she successfully separated the men and turned to get back into the car, she told police she “saw flashes in her mirror, which she assumed were from a gun.” The next thing she saw was Anderson lying on the ground.
A bar employee came outside to render medical aid to Anderson. That employee told police that Garcia approached him and “stated something close to ‘I shot him and he tried to fight me.'”
According to the report, the gun recovered at the scene — allegedly used by Garcia — belonged to Anderson, though the two men shared it. Anderson had been carrying the weapon that night because Garcia was at work, his girlfriend told police.
Garcia did not speak to police at the scene. Anderson was transported to Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries.
Garcia was charged with open murder and remains in custody at the Clark County Department of Corrections. His next court date is set for June 9.
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