In the early evening of October 19, 2011, George Moreland, an 83-year-old African-American man, drove to a shopping center located at 3262 Las Vegas Boulevard North. The area, near Pecos Road, was familiar to him. He approached an ATM and withdrew a small amount of cash, just $20. As he made his way back toward his car, he was suddenly set upon by two individuals.
The assailants, described as two men, launched a brutal and unexpected attack. They punched Mr. Moreland in the head, the force of the blows knocking the elderly man to the hard pavement. While he was down, one of the men snatched the $20 he had just withdrawn from the machine. The two attackers then fled the scene, leaving Mr. Moreland injured and alone near the ATM.
Emergency services were called to the shopping center at approximately 7:45 p.m., where they discovered the gravely injured George Moreland on the ground. He was rushed to a nearby hospital for medical attention. Despite the efforts of the medical staff, he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead. The Clark County coroner's office later determined that the cause of death was homicide, a direct result of the violent robbery.
In the aftermath, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department began an investigation and sought help from the public to identify the perpetrators of this senseless crime. Months after the incident, police released a description of one of the suspects. He was described as a Black male, believed to be between 20 and 30 years of age, and standing approximately 5 feet 5 inches tall. The investigation into the death of George Moreland continued as his community mourned the loss of an elderly man for a mere $20.
