Current:Home > Markets15-year-old North Dakota runaway shot, killed in Las Vegas while suspect FaceTimed girl -RiskWatch
15-year-old North Dakota runaway shot, killed in Las Vegas while suspect FaceTimed girl
View
Date:2025-04-17 18:22:02
A 15-year-old runaway from North Dakota was killed in a Las Vegas apartment while his suspected shooter was showing off his gun to a girl on FaceTime, police said.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police charged Browdy Lee Shaffer, 18, with James Lobue's murder on Sept. 4. The boy was a runaway from Bismarck, North Dakota, according to a police arrest report obtained by USA TODAY.
Officers found James on Sept. 2 lying inside the apartment from a gunshot wound to the torso, the report says. He was then taken to a hospital for emergency surgery, but despite the efforts of medical personnel, he succumbed to his injuries, the document continued.
Two adults and three juveniles were in the residence when police responded, while body-worn camera video caught "a multitude of juveniles fleeing the apartment upon officer's arrival," according to the report.
It is unclear if Shaffer has a defense attorney.
Browdy Lee Shaffer came to apartment with semiautomatic pistol
A female juvenile in the apartment told police that James and another boy slept in the living room of the apartment the night before the shooting, the report says. Upset that the boys were in the living room, the girl's stepfather poured water on them and woke the pair up, prompting them to leave, the document continued.
The boys would ultimately come back and spend the night in the apartment. Shaffer, who had a semiautomatic pistol with him, came by the apartment the next day to confront the girl's stepfather about him pouring water on his brother, according to the report.
While at the apartment, Shaffer began "play-fighting" with his brother and James in a bedroom, the report says. He then made a FaceTime call to an unknown female and began showing her his gun by "illuminating the flashlight and laser," the document continued.
Loud 'pop' heard, everyone ran out of the apartment
At some point, Shaffer was standing next to James with the gun in his hand when a loud "pop" was heard, according to the report. Everyone then ran out of the room, including James, who collapsed at the front door of the apartment, police said in the report.
While everyone fled from the apartment, Shaffer attempted to help the dying teenager, the report says. Before the police arrived, he went back to the bedroom for an unknown reason and then fled the apartment, according to the document.
Police learned that Shaffer came over to the apartment to fight the girl's stepfather "in the street," the report says. Instead of fighting the stepfather, James died from gunshot wounds to his torso and arm, according to the report, citing the Clark County Coroner.
Shaffer was arrested on Sept. 4 and booked at the Clark County Detention Center.
veryGood! (85)
Related
- Warm inflation data keep S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq under wraps before Fed meeting next week
- Boston mayor defends decision to host a holiday party for elected officials of color
- Wife of American held hostage by the Taliban fears time is running out
- These 18 Trendy Gifts Will Cement Your Status As The Cool Sibling Once & For All
- New Zealand official reverses visa refusal for US conservative influencer Candace Owens
- Bull on the loose on New Jersey train tracks causes delays between Newark and Manhattan
- Rarely seen killer whales spotted hunting sea lions off California coast
- Who is Easton Stick? What to know about the Chargers QB replacing injured Justin Herbert
- From family road trips to travel woes: Americans are navigating skyrocketing holiday costs
- Man acquitted of killing three in Minnesota is convicted in unrelated kidnapping, shooting
Ranking
- Toyota to invest $922 million to build a new paint facility at its Kentucky complex
- Georgia high school baseball player dies a month after being hit in the head by a bat
- Man acquitted of killing three in Minnesota is convicted in unrelated kidnapping, shooting
- Kansas courts’ computer systems are starting to come back online, 2 months after cyberattack
- $73.5M beach replenishment project starts in January at Jersey Shore
- Police search for man suspected of trying to abduct 3 different women near University of Arizona campus
- Brazil’s Congress overrides president’s veto to reinstate legislation threatening Indigenous rights
- Home of Tampa Bay Rays eyes name change, but team says it would threaten stadium deal
Recommendation
Why we love Bear Pond Books, a ski town bookstore with a French bulldog 'Staff Pup'
Who is Easton Stick? What to know about the Chargers QB replacing injured Justin Herbert
The 'Walmart Self-Checkout Employee Christmas party' was a joke. Now it's a real fundraiser.
An appeals court will hear arguments over whether Meadows’ Georgia charges can move to federal court
San Francisco names street for Associated Press photographer who captured the iconic Iwo Jima photo
Selena Gomez Reveals She's Had Botox After Clapping Back at a Critic
Congress departs without deal on Ukraine aid and border security, but Senate plans to work next week
Lily Gladstone on Oscar-bound 'Killers of the Flower Moon': 'It's a moment for all of us'