An argument that began over a mistaken bus stop button press tragically escalated into the fatal shooting of 27-year-old Jettoni Zendel in Las Vegas on the evening of October 10, 2021. Zendel, a male bartender remembered by friends as a "beautiful soul" and a "bright light," was riding a Regional Transportation Commission bus when the incident unfolded.
Zendel had accidentally pressed the button for the wrong stop and loudly apologized to the driver.
Another passenger reportedly made a joke, causing a third man to laugh at Zendel. This seemingly minor event sparked a verbal altercation between Zendel, the man who laughed, and his companion, John Kirby. The three men agreed to exit the bus near Paradise Road and Sahara Avenue to engage in a physical fight.
Shortly after disembarking from the bus at approximately 8 p.m., Zendel put down his backpack and threw a single punch at Kirby. In response, Kirby, who was 22 years old at the time, produced a handgun and shot Zendel once in the chest. Zendel was transported to Sunrise Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. The Clark County Coroner's office later confirmed his death was a homicide caused by a gunshot wound to the chest.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police utilized surveillance footage from the bus to identify the individuals involved. Kirby was identified through the bus video, which was matched with his social media accounts displaying distinctive tattoos on his hand and forearm. Investigators also discovered footage from earlier that day showing Kirby on a bus brandishing a handgun with an extended magazine. Four days after the shooting, on October 14, 2021, John Kirby was arrested and booked at the Clark County Detention Center on a charge of first-degree murder. The third man involved in the initial argument was not identified in police reports. In February 2022, John Kirby pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter with a deadly weapon and was sentenced to 11 to 28 years in prison.
