On February 28, 2020, Dennis David Hopkins, a 40-year-old resident of Las Vegas, Nevada, was fatally shot at a truck stop in Apex, Nevada. The incident occurred at the Love's Travel Stop located at 12501 Apex Great Basin Way. Hopkins was shot during a dispute that escalated into a violent confrontation.
The dispute involved Mark A. Doocy, a 60-year-old man from Blooming Prairie, Minnesota.
Doocy had been performing odd jobs for Hopkins and his wife for several weeks prior to the incident. One of the key points of contention was a camper that Hopkins had allowed Doocy to use. There was a discussion about Doocy's plan to sell the camper, with Hopkins insisting that he should be paid for it since he had worked hard to obtain it.
The altercation began when Hopkins and his wife were working on her broken-down pickup truck at the truck stop. Doocy arrived at the scene and got into a verbal argument with Hopkins. According to the arrest report, when Hopkins told his wife to call 911, Doocy threatened to retrieve a gun from his vehicle, a black GMC Envoy with Minnesota tags. Despite the warning, Hopkins remained defiant, saying, 'Go ahead.' Doocy then began shooting into Hopkins' Ford Excursion through the front windshield, causing Hopkins to suffer a gunshot wound to the right side of his chest. Hopkins attempted to escape by jumping into his vehicle and driving away, but Doocy continued to shoot at him as he ran northbound on Apex Great Basin Way. Eventually, Hopkins collapsed in a desert area, where Doocy followed and shot at him again before fleeing the scene in his GMC Envoy.
A crucial piece of evidence was provided by a witness who snapped a photo of Doocy's vehicle pulled up next to Hopkins' body. This photographic evidence, along with other witness statements, helped identify Doocy as the suspect. Following the shooting, Doocy fled the area but was later arrested at a truck stop in Rice County, Minnesota. He was subsequently extradited back to Southern Nevada to face charges of murder.
Doocy's arrest and extradition marked a significant development in the case, bringing some measure of relief to Hopkins' family, who were devastated by his death. Marcia Hopkins, Dennis' mother, expressed her grief and determination to see justice served, emphasizing that her son was a kind and helpful person who had tried to assist Doocy despite the eventual tragic outcome.
The case against Doocy has been ongoing, with a preliminary hearing scheduled to determine the next steps in the legal process. The incident highlights the tragic consequences of disputes that escalate into violence and the importance of resolving conflicts peacefully.
