Landlord kills 2, wounds 1 in rent dispute, Vegas police say

LAS VEGAS — A landlord argued with his live-in tenants over unpaid rent before opening fire with a handgun at a small house near downtown Las Vegas early Tuesday, killing two women and wounding a man who suffered nine gunshot wounds, police said.

The suspect, a man in his late 70s, surrendered after a standoff with police who arrived about 12:30 a.m. to find one woman dead outside the pink one-story home and the wounded man coming out the door, police Lt. Ray Spencer said.

Police SWAT officers found the second woman dead inside the house, Spencer said.

The names of the dead women and the wounded man, all in their 50s, were not immediately made public.

The man was hospitalized in critical condition and was expected to survive, Spencer said.

Police confiscated a 9mm handgun and the homeowner was being questioned. He was expected to be jailed pending a court appearance on murder and attempted murder charges, Spencer said. The suspect’s identity was not immediately released.

“There was a dispute that started yesterday over money that was owed for rent,” Spencer said.

One of the women left the three-bedroom house and returned before the fatal confrontation, he said.

“We don’t know the specifics, but information from witnesses is that it’s all over money not paid for their portion of the rent,” Spencer said in an interview with The Associated Press.