On the morning of February 26, 2022, a tragic event unfolded inside a Las Vegas apartment, leading to the death of Michael Fryar, a 42-year-old Black/African American male from La Habra, California. Responding to a call about an unresponsive man at approximately 9:37 a.m., police arrived at the residence on the 5000 block of Madre Mesa Drive. Inside, they discovered Fryar, who had sustained a gunshot wound. Medical personnel pronounced him dead at the scene.
The Clark County coroner's office would later confirm that Fryar died from a gunshot wound to the back and ruled his death a homicide.
The investigation into Fryar's death quickly led to a suspect, Larry Underwood, who was 46 at the time. Underwood was the brother of Fryar's girlfriend. According to police reports, Fryar and his girlfriend were in Las Vegas visiting Underwood with the intention of bringing him back to California with them. The night before the fatal shooting, while the girlfriend was out with friends, Fryar and Underwood remained at the apartment.
Details from the arrest report indicate that the two men had been smoking PCP, also known as "sherm," a hallucinogenic drug that Fryar had reportedly brought from California. Following the night of drug use, Underwood claimed to have gone to sleep and found Fryar unresponsive upon waking up. When questioned by police, Underwood initially stated that someone had "hurt" Michael before requesting an attorney. He was subsequently arrested and charged with open murder in connection with the shooting. Jail records show he was held at the Clark County Detention Center without bail following his arrest.
