Las Vegas Man Charged with Murder After Killing Shannon Awa

A man in Las Vegas is facing murder charges after allegedly killing another man and claiming that he had “killed that alien”. The incident took place on November 9th in the 400 block of South 10th Street.

According to witnesses, they heard approximately five gunshots and saw a Black man with dreadlocks and face tattoos holding a gun. One witness also reported that his vehicle had been shot while he was inside it at the Las Vegas Academy of Arts theatre building across the street. The building was occupied by students and faculty who also heard the gunfire.

Around 20 minutes after the initial 911 call, a plain-clothes detective spotted a man, later identified as Major Sanford, who matched the suspect’s description. Sanford was seen going in and out of an apartment and was subsequently arrested. Police found a gun inside a bag that Sanford was carrying, and he allegedly told officers, “I killed that alien”.

When officers entered the apartment for a welfare check, they discovered the body of a man identified as Shannon Awa. Awa had suffered a gunshot wound to the head and was pronounced dead at the scene.

During an interview with investigators, Sanford claimed that he had been living in the apartment with his mother and Awa. He referred to Awa as an alien because Awa was not his biological brother, although Awa had reportedly wanted to be. Sanford told police that he had fought with Awa because Awa was attempting to steal his marijuana and gun.

Sanford is now facing several charges, including open murder, discharging a gun into an occupied structure, owning a gun as a prohibited person, and assault. He is scheduled to appear in court again on December 5th.

The motive behind the shooting and the relationship between Sanford, Awa, and the witnesses remains under investigation.