Posted on 08/04/2005 9:50:04 AM PDT by kiriath_jearim
Winslow soldier held in Las Vegas shooting death
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 08/03/2005
LAS VEGAS -- A Winslow soldier home from Iraq remained jailed Tuesday in the slaying of a woman and the wounding of a man in a weekend shooting in an alley.
Army Spc. Matthew Sepi, 20, was carrying an assault rifle on his way to buy beer at a downtown Las Vegas convenience store early Sunday when gunfire erupted, according to police and court records cited by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Sharon Jackson, 47, was killed and Kevin Ratcliff, 26, was wounded in the 1 a.m. Sunday shooting near Las Vegas Boulevard and Sahara Avenue. Ratcliff was hospitalized. He was expected to recover, authorities said.
Sepi, an American Indian, was not hit by gunfire. A police officer stopped him and arrested him a short time later driving an Oldsmobile sedan with an assault rifle inside.
Sepi was being held without bail at Clark County jail pending a court appearance on murder and attempted murder charges.
Sepi's mother, Nora Sepi, told the Review-Journal her son served in Iraq with the 4th Infantry Division, based at Fort Hood, Texas.
She said he seldom spoke of combat but mentioned that he participated in gunbattles.
Nora Sepi said Matthew Sepi had been in contact with the Veterans Affairs Administration for help with post-traumatic stress disorder since returning home.
Police spokesman Jose Montoya said Tuesday that authorities were investigating whether Sepi had a permit to carry an assault weapon. Montoya said he did not immediately know what type of rifle it was.
Sepi told officers he fired four shots. He said he had been trained in the military that in an ambush he should engage his targets and retreat.
"He felt that the situation in the alley was an ambush, and he reacted the way he had been trained," the police report said.
Las Vegas homicide Lt. Tom Monahan identified Jackson as Ratcliff's girlfriend and said some evidence suggested the shooting was self-defense.
Police reported finding a 9 mm pistol and three bullet casings in the alley.
"We do know the victim's boyfriend got off a few rounds," Monahan said. However, Monahan said Tuesday it was not clear if the two men exchanged gunfire.
Veterans Affairs officials at the agency's regional office in Reno declined comment. An official with the Army Reserve's 113th Medical Company, Combat Stress Control, in Stanton, Calif., referred questions to a Veterans Affairs Web site.
Sepi was honorably discharged in May and was completing his Individual Ready Reserve obligation, an Army personnel official in St. Louis said.
"...Sepi, 20, was carrying an assault rifle on his way to buy beer..."
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Sounds like a normal thing to do when buying a beer.
I don't know about Nevade, but here in Arizona (where Sepi is from) you don't need a permit to carry a semi-automatic rifle.
If Sepi was indeed attacked, he did the right thing. What I'm wondering, though, is why he was carrying a rifle on the strip? Was this meeting set up in advance, and Sepi felt that he might be in danger? Sounds an awful lot like a plot line for an episode of CSI.
Yesterday's posting of this event has more information.
Got a link?
Nothing is turning up in the Forum search on Las Vegas, Shooting, Soldier, or Winslow...
In Las Vegas, it is not a bad idea, that is if you don't own a BAR.
North LasVegas used to be the tough spot in the early 70's. I guess trouble travels. Don't recall any open carry prohibition except in the casinos.
Well, Grissom and his team will have this one wrapped up in about an hour or so.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1456234/posts.
This was tough to find. I used the shooters name.
Thanks!
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