Tattooed Texan, brother and sister-in-law face the death penalty for randomly shooting at people in their cars on Thanksgiving day – 11-hour gun rampage across Nevada and Arizona left one man dead, at least four wounded
Tattooed man, his sister-in-law and brother face the death penalty for randomly shooting at people in their cars during an 11-hour gun rampage across two states which left one man dead and at least four wounded
The three suspects were from Tyler, Texas, face prosecution in Las Vegas for crimes in Nevada and Arizona under a court doctrine of ‘long-arm jurisdiction’
Brothers Christopher McDonnell, 28, and Shawn McDonnell, 30, as well as Shawn’s 25-year-old wife Kayleigh Lewis could face the death penalty for allegedly carrying out the shooting spree
Authorities are pursuing possible terrorism and hate-crime charges against trio
Kevin Mendiola Jr. was killed in one of the shootings in Henderson in Las Vegas on Nov 26
Arizona police said the three were seized following a police vehicle chase, a crash and a shooting involving the Arizona Department of Public Safety in La Paz County, Arizona
Shawn McDonnell was reportedly wounded by two troopers wielding assault-style rifles in La Paz County, Arizona
The suspects were arrested by Arizona police after a police chase, a crash and a shooting with law enforcement during which Shawn McDonnell was shot
Troopers reported that Shawn McDonnell pointed a handgun at them before he was shot
A search found three handguns, two machete-style knives and a baseball bat in the wrecked black Toyota Camry with tinted windows

Authorities are pursuing possible terrorism and hate-crime charges against brothers Christopher and Shawn McDonnell, and Shawn’s wife Kayleigh Lewis for allegedly carrying out the deadly 11-hour shooting spree across Nevada and Arizona.
The three Texans could face the death penalty following a rash of random Thanksgiving day shootings, spanning 11 hours and two states, which left one man dead, a prosecutor has said.
The trio were driving in a black sedan and allegedly carried out five shootings in Henderson, Nevada targeting 11 people, before moving across state lines for five more shootings in Parker, Arizona, before they were taken into custody.


The rampage came to a dramatic conclusion when two Arizona state troopers confronted the armed suspects following a chase and opened fire on them from their assault-style rifles, injuring Shawn McDonnell.
Prosecutors will consider pursuing the death penalty in the case, Michael Schwartzer, a chief deputy Clark County district attorney, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
In Nevada, Christopher McDonnell, 28, faced a judge Tuesday on murder, attempted murder, battery and firearm charges. Henderson Justice of the Peace Stephen George set a Dec. 15 bail hearing.
On Thanksgiving morning, Christopher McDonnell, his brother, Shawn, and sister-in-law Kayleigh Lewis, all from Texas, allegedly went on a deadly shooting rampage spanning 11 hours and two states.
On November 26, around 12.54am shots fired outside a convenience store in Henderson, Nevada, left 22-year-old Kevin Mendiola Jr dead and four others injured, including his younger brother and girlfriend.
Hours latter at 8.35am, a woman near Parker, Arizona, reported that ‘a white male with black shaggy hair’ approached her vehicle and started shooting at her.
10 minutes after that the driver of a motor home driving on state Route 95 reports being shot at.
Within two minutes a woman driving on Route 95 near Parker called 911 to report that someone had opened fire on her vehicle. The scene was repeated at 8.53am when another woman traveling on Route 95 reported that shots were fired at her.
By 10 am Arizona Department of Public Safety trooper had located a black Toyota matching the description of the suspects’ vehicle traveling along State Route 72, near State Route 95.
A police chase ended when the suspects crashed near the town of Bouse.

As the trooper and a sergeant approached the wrecked vehicle, Shawn McDonnell allegedly pointed a handgun at the trooper, who opened fire from AR-15-style rifle, injuring him.
Schwartzer said Christopher McDonnell told investigators his brother told him to ‘shoot the black guy’ and referenced an ‘upcoming war.’
Lewis, 25, was being held at the La Paz County jail on two counts each of attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault and endangerment. Her husband, 30-year-old Shawn McDonnell, was hospitalized with gunshot wounds.
In one of the shootings, Kevin Mendiola Jr., 22, of North Las Vegas, was killed and four other people, including the deceased victim’s brother and his girlfriend, were wounded in front of a 7-Eleven convenience store on the 800 block of the East Lake Mead Parkway in Henderson, Nevada.
Among the injured at the store was a 23-year-old woman, and three men aged 18, 41 and 53 – all of whom suffered from apparent gunshot wounds, according to Henderson police.
The four surviving victims were transported to a local hospital for treatment and are expected to survive, police said.
Other people including motorists reported being targeted on southern Nevada freeways and roads before 1 am on November 26, said Schwartzer.
At least ten people were targeted, but police received a report of another shooting that could bring the total to 11, he added.
‘Once we get our arms around this, it’s going to be quite a case,’ Schwartzer said. ‘We’re still trying to find out what happened.’

The crimes continued in the state of Arizona in Parker county where police say three people carried out five more shootings before the trio were arrested.
Arizona police said the three were seized following a police vehicle chase, a crash and a shooting involving the Arizona Department of Public Safety in La Paz County, Arizona.
Shawn McDonnell was reportedly wounded by two troopers wielding assault-style rifles in La Paz County, Arizona.
Arizona police said the three were seized following a police vehicle chase, a crash and a shooting involving the Arizona Department of Public Safety in La Paz County, Arizona.
Troopers reported that Shawn McDonnell pointed a handgun at them before he was shot, and that a search found three handguns, two machete-style knives and a baseball bat in a wrecked black Toyota Camry with tinted windows.

The three suspects were from Tyler, Texas, said Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson. Their prosecution in Las Vegas could include crimes in Nevada and Arizona under a court doctrine of ‘long-arm jurisdiction’.
Speaking about considering a hate-crime enhancement as well as chargest connected to a ‘continued act of terrorism’, Schwartzer said: ‘Those are all factors we have to consider.’
‘It’s just a horrific case to me. It’s Thanksgiving. … The victims in this case did absolutely nothing wrong and were just living their lives.’
In Nevada, Christopher McDonnell, 28, faced a judge Tuesday on murder, attempted murder, battery and firearm charges. Henderson Justice of the Peace Stephen George set a December 15 bail hearing.
McDonnell’s court-appointed attorney, Curtis Brown, said later that it was too early to comment about the case.

In one of the shootings, Kevin Mendiola Jr., 22, of North Las Vegas, was killed and four other people were wounded in front of a 7-Eleven convenience store on the 800 block of the East Lake Mead Parkway in Henderson.
Schwartzer said Christopher McDonnell told investigators his brother told him to ‘shoot the black guy’ and referenced an ‘upcoming war’.
The La Paz County sheriff’s office said investigators identified three who said they were victims of vehicle-to-vehicle shootings on U.S. 95 in the Parker area and two more who drove to Lake Havasu before stopping.
Lewis was being held at the La Paz County jail pending a court hearing, and Shawn McDonnell was hospitalized with gunshot wounds.
‘We have not tied anything or anyone together and we believe the victims were random,’ the statement said.
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