In the late hours of a warm evening in Las Vegas on August 29, 2020, the life of 46-year-old Hispanic male Phillip Zuniga was tragically cut short in a burst of gunfire. The shooting erupted near an apartment complex on Twain Avenue, a chaotic event that would leave another man, 24-year-old Anthony Mitchell, dead and two other individuals wounded. Zuniga was with his sister, Mitchell, and another friend, walking through the area when they encountered a group of men.
An altercation ensued, and suddenly, shots rang out.
The investigation by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department moved swiftly. Within days, on September 2nd, two suspects were in custody. Authorities arrested 27-year-old Bobby Torres and 20-year-old Ivan Herrera. Both men were subsequently charged with two counts of murder with a deadly weapon and two counts of attempted murder with a deadly weapon. Investigators believe the two men used a pair of handguns to fire seven rounds into the group that included Zuniga.
According to police reports, both Torres and Herrera were known to have ties to a street gang. Their criminal histories were not insignificant. Herrera, despite his young age, had a prior case involving battery on a protected person and discharging a firearm. Torres had a more extensive record dating back to 2012, which included a 2016 conviction for battery with a deadly weapon that resulted in substantial bodily harm, for which he was sentenced to a minimum of three years in state prison. Following their arrest for the double homicide, both men were held without bail.
