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8 months ago
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A Las Vegas teenager has been charged with murder of an innocent woman who was caught in the crossfire of a gang fight while out walking her dogs.
Kevin Perez-Stubbs, 16, faces charges including murder and conspiracy to commit murder. He was arrested last May, when he was 15.
Prosecutors say it is Stubbs who appears in a grainy surveillance video of the attack.
The gunman is shown hanging out of a window before firing a fatal shot at Shawna McCowan, a 43-year-old who was out walking her dogs.
After the attack, prosecutors say he searched for news articles about the woman's death.
Kevin Perez-Stubbs, 16, is charged with killing Shawna McCowan, 43, in April last year
He is accused of fatally shooting Shawna McCowan, 43, as the woman walked dogs with her boyfriend. Prosecutors say Perez-Stubbs searched for articles about McCowan's death weeks later
The fatal incident was captured on surveillance video from a nearby house, and shows a man who police say is Stubbs
The shooting was sparked by an earlier fight between two teenagers at a nearby apartment complex, according to a police report.
One teen had accused another of stealing his Polymer80 slide gun, which was later recovered near the apartments.
Las Vegas teen Kevin Perez-Stubbs, 16, faces charges including murder and conspiracy to commit murder
The weapon was not only linked to the shooting, but seen in videos posted to social media, where Stubbs-Perez waved it around and pointed it at the camera.
Polymer80 is the largest manufacturer of un-serialized 'ghost gun' parts, which are untraceable when used in a crime.
Police identified McCowan as an innocent bystander who was walking on the same sidewalk as two teens who were targeted in a drive-by shooting.
A man who identified himself as McCowan's boyfriend told police that he saw the two teens walking toward them as they walked along Bella Lante Avenue.
Suddenly, a person leaned out of the window of a passing car and 'immediately began firing a handgun' in their direction.
A bullet struck McCowan in the back and neck as she fled, the report says. Police later recovered over a dozen projectiles from the scene.
Police have described McCowan as an 'innocent bystander' who was caught in a drive-by shooting
The violence stemmed from an earlier argument over a Polymer80 slide gun, which Perez-Stubbs was seen waving around on social media. The manufacturer makes unserialized guns that cannot be traced when used in a crime
The teenager was only 15 at the time of his arrest, but was certified as an adult due to the nature of the crime
Police say three other teenagers were with Perez-Stubbs at the time of the shooting, including his older brother, 20-year-old Johnathan (right) and 17-year-old Mezarius Finch
Tyshean Tillman, 19, was driving the vehicle at the time of the shooting. All three of the other teens took plea deals
Surveillance video first obtained by 8 News Now shows McCowan and the man walking along as a residential street. Suddenly, a black car pulls up with its headlights off.
The vehicle gradually slows down, nearly coming to a stop, as two other people run off down the street. Perez-Stubbs can then be seen leaning out of the car window and firing the gun.
Police say three other teenagers were with Perez-Stubbs at the time of the shooting, including his older brother, 20-year-old Johnathan.
Tyshean Tillman, 19, was driving the vehicle, while 17-year-old Mezarius Finch was also in the car.
Both minors were certified as adults due to the severity of the crime. Records show the three other teens have taken plea deals.
Should a jury convict Perez-Stubbs, the judge will be required to provide parole eligibility in his sentence due to his age, as per Nevada law.
McCowan worked as a teacher in Colorado and held a job with United Airlines based out of Las Vegas
McCowan split her time between Aurora, Colorado, where she worked as a teacher; and Las Vegas, where she worked for United Airlines.
Around the time of the shooting she was visiting friends, her sister, Autumn, wrote on a GoFundMe campaign.
Autumn and many of McCowan's other family members, including her son and husband, are based in Colorado.
'Losing a loved one is never easy but the added layer of losing one out of state is something I wouldn't wish for any family to navigate during a time of grieving,' she wrote.
Ashley Ozark, who roomed with McCowan during United Airlines training, described the mother-of-one as 'selfless.'
'She would fight tooth and nail for anyone she cared about,' Ozark said.
'She was so full of life and the world is a darker without her. I am so sorry to her loved ones for the loss of such sweet and fiery soul.'
She leaves behind her husband, Laszlo (pictured), and son Laszlo Jr.
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