On May 27, 2020, a fatal shooting occurred at an apartment complex in the southwest valley of Las Vegas, resulting in the death of 23-year-old Lamont Anthony Brooks Jr. of Henderson. The incident took place just west of Tropicana Avenue and Jones Boulevard, where officers from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department were called to the complex's breezeway around 9:55 p.m. to investigate a report of a shooting.
Upon arrival, they found Brooks with multiple gunshot wounds, and he was subsequently taken to University Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
Investigations revealed that Brooks had arrived at the apartment complex to conduct a narcotics transaction. He was approached by two individuals wearing masks who attempted to rob him. During the attempted robbery, a struggle ensued, and one of the masked individuals pulled out a gun and shot Brooks. The second suspect, later identified as 30-year-old Jarreese Ford, was also shot during the altercation. Ford and the other suspect, later identified as Desmond Cole, fled the scene in a vehicle, and Ford was later dropped off at Spring Valley Hospital before being airlifted to UMC for critical injuries.
Jarreese Ford, one of the suspects, was not officially charged until July 28, 2020. While hospitalized, Ford told police that he did not see who shot him and did not know who took him to the hospital. Despite his claims, police determined that Ford had been selling marijuana to Brooks for several years, according to a witness statement included in the arrest report.
The second suspect, Desmond Cole, 30 years old, was arrested and booked into the Clark County Detention Center on August 25, 2020. Cole is believed to have shot Brooks during the attempted robbery. The investigation found that a cellphone used to lure Brooks to the apartment complex belonged to Cole, who is also Ford's close friend and roommate. Additionally, police discovered Cole's fingerprints inside Ford's car, which was found in June 2020.
Both Desmond Cole and Jarreese Ford face charges of murder with a deadly weapon and conspiracy to commit murder. As of the time of the report, neither had been granted bail, with Cole remaining in the detention center and Ford's status in the hospital unclear but still in custody.
The investigation highlighted that the suspects' actions were premeditated, as evidenced by the use of masks and the cellphone to lure Brooks to the location. The case underscores the complexities and dangers associated with narcotics transactions and the violent outcomes that can result from such activities.
