14 DAY TRIAL // 26-year-old Ammar Asim Faruq Harris has been identified as a prime suspect in the Las Vegas Strip shooting, leaving three people dead on Thursday, February 21.
Harris is still at large, and is considered armed and dangerous, reports Los Angeles Times. According to Las Vegas police spokesman Marcus Martin, he has a record that includes kidnapping, coercion, robbery and being in possession of a gun, as a former felon.
“And that’s just in our jurisdiction. [...] He has a habit of not appearing in court, too,” Martin describes.
Investigators believe that the incident started with Harris arguing with rapper Ken Cherry, shooting him in the street from his vehicle a few moments after. The initial altercation allegedly took place at a casino down the street.
The drive-by shooting prompted Cherry to crash his two-door Maserati into a Desert Cab vehicle, at approximately 4:30 a.m., writes the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
“This doesn't happen where we come from, not on this scale. We get stabbings, and gang violence, but this is like something out of a movie. Like Die Hard or something,” recalls witness Mark Thompson, of Manchester in the UK for the Daily Mail.
The impact prompted the deaths of 48-year-old Sandi Sutton-Wasmund of Maple Valley, Washington and the driver of the cab she was in, 62-year-old Michael Boldon. They both died from multiple blunt-force injuries, LA Times notes.
“What happened on the Strip today will not be tolerated. [...] There are no absolutes when people's behavior is in question,” Clark County Sheriff Doug Gillespie has said after the incident made news headlines.
“Recent incidents, while unfortunate, were isolated events. [...] Las Vegas is among the safest travel destinations in the world and utilizes the most advanced technology and training to maintain a secure environment,” adds Jeremy Handel, speaking for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.