In Las Vegas, Nevada, on December 1, 2017, a tragic event unfolded that cut short the life of Kolton Sawyer, a 26-year-old Caucasian male. What began as a selfless act of intervention in a crime would ultimately lead to his untimely death. Sawyer, along with two friends, witnessed a woman being robbed at gunpoint along Rancho Drive near Melody Lane.
Without hesitation, the three men gave chase to the armed suspect.
The pursuit continued until the fleeing man, apparently winded from the chase, abruptly turned and fired a weapon at his pursuers. Sawyer was struck by a gunshot to the neck. His body was later found in the 1900 block of Allen Lane. He was the only one of the three friends to be hit by the gunfire. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department launched an investigation into the homicide, describing the person who shot Sawyer as a Black male, estimated to be between 20 and his early 30s, with facial hair. He was last seen wearing a black zip-up hooded sweatshirt and black jeans.
In the days and weeks that followed, law enforcement released a composite sketch of the suspected shooter to the public in the hopes of generating leads. They also circulated surveillance footage that captured the silhouette of the man running from the scene. The suspect was reportedly last seen jumping over a wall into the Portola Del Sol apartment complex. Despite these efforts to identify the individual responsible, information regarding an arrest or the naming of a suspect in the death of Kolton Sawyer has not been publicly reported. The case remains a painful memory of a young man who lost his life while coming to the aid of another.
