Investigators said the suspect entered the store, asked for a specific worker and fled after the shooting.
LAS VEGAS, NV — A store employee was shot and killed Wednesday afternoon inside a business at a northwest Las Vegas shopping center, and police were still searching for the gunman, authorities said.
The killing drew homicide detectives to the Best in the West shopping center near North Rainbow Boulevard and West Lake Mead Boulevard, a busy retail area in the northwest valley. Police said the attack appeared targeted because the suspect entered the business and asked for a specific employee before the shooting.
Several 911 calls came in just after 4:30 p.m. Wednesday from the shopping center in the 2100 block of North Rainbow Boulevard, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Lt. Robert Price said during a media briefing. Officers arrived and found the victim inside the store with at least one gunshot wound. Officers began giving aid until medical crews arrived, but the man died at the scene. Price said police believe the shooting was “an isolated incident” and that there was “no threat to the public.”
Investigators said the suspect walked through the front door of the business and asked to see a certain employee. When the suspect came into contact with that worker, the two got into a physical fight, police said. During the fight, the suspect pulled out a firearm and shot the employee. The suspect then ran from the store. Police said Wednesday night they did not know which direction he went after leaving the business.
Police described the victim as a Black man in his 30s. His name had not been released Thursday pending notification of his family by the Clark County coroner’s office. Police described the suspect as a Hispanic man in his 20s. No arrest had been announced as of Thursday. Investigators had not publicly released the suspect’s name, a vehicle description or a detailed clothing description. Police also had not said whether the suspect and victim knew each other before the shooting.
The shooting happened at a Five Below in the Best in the West shopping center, according to local reports from the scene. The shopping center sits along North Rainbow Boulevard, near West Lake Mead Boulevard, and includes several large stores and restaurants. Police tape and patrol vehicles remained around parts of the center Wednesday evening as detectives worked the scene, reviewed what happened inside the business and gathered information from people who were nearby when the gunfire broke out.
The case is being investigated as a homicide by the Metropolitan Police Department’s homicide section. Detectives were expected to review surveillance video from the store and nearby businesses, collect physical evidence and interview employees, shoppers and other witnesses. No court hearing or charging date had been set because no suspect was in custody. The coroner’s office will make the official ruling on the victim’s cause and manner of death.
Police said the first calls described an employee who had been shot. Price said the early investigation showed the suspect came to the business looking for that employee rather than firing at random. The details released Wednesday night left several questions unanswered, including what led to the fight, how long the suspect was inside the store and whether detectives had identified him through witnesses or video.
The shooting remained under investigation Thursday, June 18, with no arrest announced. The next major step is expected to be the release of the victim’s identity by the coroner’s office or a police update on the suspect search.
Author note: Last updated June 18, 2026.