In the summer of 2016, a young man's life was cut short in a violent encounter in Las Vegas, Nevada. Robert Joseph Bustos II, a Caucasian male of 17 years, was fatally shot on July 11, 2016. The incident occurred in the parking lot of the Alterra Apartments at 2701 N. Decatur Blvd., where Bustos was discovered with two gunshot wounds at approximately 6:30 p.m.
The investigation into the death of the athletic teenager, who had a passion for football and wrestling, revealed a tragic story
of a deal gone wrong. Bustos had arranged to illegally purchase a gun, a decision that ultimately led him into a fatal trap. According to police reports, an unidentified minor, who was an acquaintance of Bustos, had orchestrated a plan with two other men to rob the teen during the transaction. Believing Bustos to be from a "nice neighborhood," they targeted him for the $350 he had brought to buy the firearm. After the minor took the money from Bustos, he left the apartment complex, leaving Bustos waiting in a car with the other two individuals. When it became clear he had been robbed, a confrontation ensued.
For nearly two years, the case remained a painful open wound for his family and friends, who remembered him for his kind and gentle heart. A break in the investigation came in March 2018, when Las Vegas police arrested 25-year-old Bradley Griffin, charging him with open murder in connection with Bustos's death. According to Griffin's arrest report, he became involved after a minor friend of his had robbed Bustos during the attempted gun sale. The minor, who was in custody for an unrelated offense, told investigators that Griffin had confronted Bustos and later bragged about the shooting, even threatening to kill the minor if he ever spoke of the incident.
Initially, police were searching for two Hispanic men seen fleeing the scene. One was described as wearing a black baseball cap with a ponytail, and the other had a short, trimmed beard. The arrest of Bradley Griffin, some 20 months after the shooting, brought a significant development to the case, though it was not immediately clear if the minor who orchestrated the robbery faced any charges in connection with the deadly outcome.
