In the early morning hours of June 9, 2009, the quiet residential streets of northwest Las Vegas were disturbed by a grim discovery. Wyatt Marcel King Jr., a 24-year-old African-American man, was found lying in the street near the intersection of Peach Ridge Court and Aspen Cove Street. It was approximately 5:47 a.m. when his body was discovered. Medical personnel who responded to the scene determined that King had sustained apparent gunshot wounds and was pronounced deceased.
The Clark County coroner's office would later confirm that he died from multiple gunshot wounds, and his death was officially ruled a homicide.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department's homicide section immediately launched an investigation into the shooting death of the North Las Vegas man. Investigators worked to piece together the events that led to King's untimely demise, but details about a motive were not readily apparent. The case presented challenges as authorities sought to identify who was responsible for the fatal shooting. In the days and weeks following the discovery of King's body, detectives appealed to the public for any information that could lead to a breakthrough in the case.
As the investigation progressed, Las Vegas police identified a "person of interest" they wished to speak with in connection to the shooting. On June 12, 2009, authorities announced they were looking for 23-year-old Dwayne Ray Jones of Las Vegas. Later that month, on June 29, police identified a second "person of interest," 37-year-old Antoine Evans, stating that he might have information regarding King's death. Despite these public appeals for information and the naming of persons of interest, the investigation into Wyatt King's murder has continued for years without a resolution. To this day, the suspect in his killing remains unknown, and the case is still considered unresolved by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, who continue to ask anyone with information to come forward.
