LAS VEGAS (Las Vegas News) — A domestic-related shooting in the southwest Las Vegas Valley left a woman dead and a man hospitalized early Sunday morning, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
Officers were dispatched at approximately 3:15 a.m. March 22 to a residence in the 8900 block of Via Vista Circle after LVMPD Communications received a report of a multi-alarm activation at the home. Authorities have not specified the type of alarm, but such calls typically prompt a priority response due to potential safety concerns.
When officers arrived, they attempted to make contact with anyone inside the residence but were unsuccessful. Police then made entry into the home to conduct a welfare check.
Inside, officers located a woman suffering from a gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
During their search of the residence, officers also found a man later identified as 46-year-old Christopher Behar. Police said he appeared to have sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Medical personnel transported him to a nearby hospital, where he remains under treatment.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Section was notified and responded to the scene to take over the investigation, which is standard procedure in all suspicious or violent death cases.
Based on preliminary evidence gathered at the scene, homicide detectives determined that Behar shot his girlfriend before turning the weapon on himself, police said.
Authorities said Behar was booked in absentia into the Clark County Detention Center on a charge of open murder. Booking in absentia allows law enforcement to formally charge a suspect who is hospitalized or otherwise unable to be physically taken into custody at the time.
Police have not released additional details about the circumstances leading up to the shooting, including the length of the relationship, whether there were prior calls for service at the residence, or the type of firearm used.
The identity of the victim, as well as the official cause and manner of death, will be released by the Clark County Coroner’s Office pending notification of next of kin.
Investigators are continuing to process evidence and gather information related to the case. As of Monday, no additional suspects are being sought.
Anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact the LVMPD Homicide Section at 702-828-3521 or by email at [email protected]. To remain anonymous, tips can be submitted through Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555 or online.
The investigation remains ongoing.
