Las Vegas homeless population expresses safety concerns as killer remains at large

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The Las Vegas Metro Police Department is still searching for the person they say shot five homeless people Friday night, killing one and seriously injuring another.

Metro hasn’t released a clear description of the gunman, but stated he fled from the scene near Charleston Boulevard and Honolulu Street in a dark sedan following the shooting.

“We didn’t choose to be homeless, and we don’t do nothing to nobody. We’re out here trying to make a living like everybody else and try to survive,” Lamar White said on Saturday.

White and his wife live near Charleston Boulevard with their dog, but they are several miles away from that deadly shooting in the east valley.

Still, White said he worries about the violence and hate directed toward those similar to him who are unhoused.

“People just come by, walk by, and say mean things, like you don’t know what that person is going through at that time. You don’t know what they’re feeling,” White said.

A man who lives near the scene named Raj witnessed the investigation on Friday.

Police search for suspect after 5 ‘unhoused’ people shot in east Las Vegas

“They’re homeless. They have nowhere to be, you know what I mean? And for somebody to come and do that kind of stuff. That’s kind of uncalled for, that’s inhumane,” he said.

Catrina Grigsby-Thedford who serves as the executive director of the Nevada Homeless Alliance agrees with that sentiment.

“We need a sense of humanity, like these are people. These are someone’s mother, father, sister, brother, son, daughter, right?” Grigsby-Thedford said. “They’re experiencing a housing crisis as well as other health challenges. We need more empathy.”

She adds that part of the solution has to be more affordable housing options and an understanding of the struggles people experiencing homelessness face.

“These are very vulnerable Nevadans, these are our neighbors,” Grigsby-Thedford said.

Metro said a man in his 50s died at the hospital Friday night from the shooting, while another man is listed in critical condition.

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