Do you know who murdered Israel Ortiz?
On the night of March 9, 2002, a violent encounter in Las Vegas claimed the life of 18-year-old Israel Jason Ortiz III. The young man was a passenger in a 1962 green Chevrolet Impala, enjoying a Saturday night with friends. Their evening took a fateful turn after a stop at a convenience store and gas station at 780 E. Pyle Street, where they had paused to buy cigarettes and talk with some young women.
As the Impala pulled away from the gas station, it was followed by two other vehicles, a white sedan, possibly a Buick Regal, and a dark red sedan, that may have been a Lincoln. Occupants of these trailing cars opened fire on the classic Chevrolet in a car-to-car shooting. The attack resulted in Ortiz, who was seated in the back, being struck twice. The front passenger was also wounded in the assault but survived.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police officers responded to the scene at the Paradise Spa Apartments located at 9457 South Las Vegas Boulevard at approximately 11:04 p.m. where they discovered the tragic outcome of the shooting. Israel Ortiz succumbed to his injuries, marking another homicide in the city's records for the year.
Despite the passage of time, the case of Israel Ortiz's murder remains unsolved. No arrests have been made, and the individuals in the two sedans who opened fire that night have never been identified. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department continues to list the case as an open homicide, awaiting any new information that might lead to a breakthrough and bring closure to the family and friends of the young victim.
