On a quiet Thursday morning in a Las Vegas cul-de-sac, the life of Michael Owen O'Brien, a 62-year-old male, was brought to a violent and sudden end. It was November 6, 2014, when neighbors in the 6900 block of Welsh Circle heard the alarming sound of gunshots pierce the air just after 9 a.m. Responding to the reports, Las Vegas police discovered O'Brien, who had been fatally wounded in what was determined to be a drive-by shooting.
The Clark County coroner's office later formally identified him. His family, in their time of grief, remembered him as a loving husband and a man with a big heart and kind spirit who found joy in helping others, often placing their needs before his own.
The initial investigation into the homicide was swift, with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department working to piece together the events that led to the fatal shooting. While authorities stated that they did not believe the incident was gang-related, they were keen to find the individual or individuals responsible. A few days after the shooting, a person of interest was identified and publicly named by the police. They sought the public's help in locating 37-year-old Terrell Hodges, providing a physical description in the hopes of generating leads that could move the investigation forward.
Despite the initial progress in identifying a person of interest, the path to justice for Michael Owen O'Brien remains unclear. There is no publicly available information detailing any arrests in connection with his murder or if Terrell Hodges was ever located and questioned by authorities. The case appears to have gone cold, leaving a void for a family that described their loved one as a good man who loved God. The question of why he was taken from them in such a senseless act of violence lingers, with no resolution to bring closure to his loved ones.
