On an evening in April 2014, a drug transaction in a Las Vegas parking lot took a fatal turn, ending the life of 28-year-old Jason Puckett. The male victim had arranged to purchase marijuana with a friend and was meeting the seller near Washington Avenue and Bruce Street on April 21st.
While standing outside a Chevrolet Trailblazer where the seller, identified as Jonathan Perez, was waiting, Puckett was on his phone and reportedly became increasingly agitated.
It was during this tense moment that gunshots rang out from inside the vehicle. A witness at the scene reported seeing Perez, who was 22 years old at the time, aiming a revolver at Puckett.
Perez then exited the Trailblazer and followed Puckett as he stumbled to the rear of the vehicle before collapsing. After Puckett fell to the ground, Perez got back into the vehicle and fled the scene. Emergency services transported Puckett to University Medical Center, but he succumbed to his injuries. An autopsy later confirmed that the cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds.
Investigators with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department were able to identify the owner of the Trailblazer, who informed them that her daughter's boyfriend, Jonathan Perez, had been using the vehicle. The following day, police located and arrested Perez without incident. He faced charges of first-degree murder, being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm, and discharging a firearm from a vehicle. Records indicated that Perez had a prior criminal history, including a guilty plea for attempted murder and carrying a concealed weapon in 2011.
