A Las Vegas teenager has been charged with the murder of an innocent woman who was caught in the crossfire of a gang fight while walking her dogs.
Kevin Perez-Stubbs, 16, faces charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder. He was arrested last May, when he was 15 years old.
Prosecutors say it is Stubbs who appears in grainy surveillance video of the attack.
The gunman appears hanging from a window before firing a fatal shot Shawna McCowan, a 43-year-old woman who was walking her dogs.
After the attack, prosecutors say he searched for news articles about the woman’s death.
Kevin Perez-Stubbs, 16, is accused of killing Shawna McCowan, 43, in April of last year.
He is accused of fatally shooting 43-year-old Shawna McCowan while the woman was walking dogs with her boyfriend. Prosecutors say Perez-Stubbs searched for articles about McCowan’s death weeks later
The fatal incident was captured on surveillance video from a nearby home and shows a man police say is Stubbs.
The shooting stemmed from an earlier fight between two teenagers at a nearby apartment complex, according to a police report.
One teen had accused another of stealing his Polymer80 slide gun, which was later recovered near the apartments.
Las Vegas teenager Kevin Perez-Stubbs, 16, faces charges including murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
The gun was not only connected to the shooting, but was also seen in videos posted on social media, where Stubbs-Perez was waving it and pointing it at the camera.
Polymer80 is the largest manufacturer of non-serialized “ghost gun” parts, which cannot be traced when used in a crime.
Police identified McCowan as an innocent bystander who was walking on the same sidewalk as two teenagers who were targeted in a drive-by shooting.
A man who identified himself as McCowan’s boyfriend told police he saw the two teens walking toward them as they strolled along Bella Lante Avenue.
Suddenly, a person leaned out the window of a passing car and “immediately began firing a gun” in their direction.
A bullet hit McCowan in the back and neck as he fled, the report said. Police later recovered more than a dozen projectiles from the scene.
Police have described McCowan as an “innocent bystander” who was caught up in a drive-by shooting.
The violence stemmed from an earlier argument over a Polymer80 slide gun, which Perez-Stubbs was seen waving on social media. The manufacturer makes non-serialized weapons that cannot be traced when used in a crime.
The teen was only 15 years old at the time of his arrest, but was certified as an adult due to the nature of the crime.
Police say three other teens were with Perez-Stubbs at the time of the shooting, including his older brother, 20-year-old Johnathan (right), and 17-year-old Mezarius Finch.
Tyshean Tillman, 19, was driving the vehicle at the time of the shooting. The other three teens accepted plea deals.
Surveillance video first obtained by 8 news now shows McCowan and the man walking like a residential street. Suddenly, a black car stops with its lights off.
The vehicle gradually slows to a near stop, while two other people flee down the street. Perez-Stubbs can then be seen leaning out of the car window and firing the gun.
Police say three other teens were with Perez-Stubbs at the time of the shooting, including his older brother, 20-year-old Johnathan.
Tyshean Tillman, 19, was driving the vehicle, while Mezarius Finch, 17, was also in the car.
Both minors were certified as adults due to the seriousness of the crime. Records show the other three teens reached plea deals.
If a jury convicts Perez-Stubbs, the judge will have to provide parole eligibility in his sentencing because of his age, according to Nevada law.
McCowan and a man who identified himself as her boyfriend were walking along Bella Lante Avenue when she was fatally struck by a bullet.
McCowan worked as a teacher in Colorado and worked at United Airlines based in Las Vegas.
McCowan divided her time between Aurora, Colorado, where she worked as a teacher; and Las Vegas, where she worked for United Airlines.
At the time of the shooting she was visiting friends, her sister Autumn wrote in a GoFundMe Campaign.
Autumn and many other members of McCowan’s family, including her son and husband, reside in Colorado.
“Losing a loved one is never easy, but the added layer of losing one out of state is something I wouldn’t want any family to go through during a time of grief,” she wrote.
Ashley Ozark, who roomed with McCowan during United Airlines training, described the mother of one as “selfless.”
“She would fight tooth and nail for anyone she cared about,” Ozark said.
‘She was so full of life and the world is darker without her. I am so sorry to her loved ones for the loss of such a sweet and fiery soul.’
She leaves behind her husband, Laszlo (pictured), and her son Laszlo Jr.