62°F
weather icon Partly Cloudy

Retaliation cited in biker shooting

A highway shooting in Henderson involving rival motorcycle gangs may have been an act of retaliation, a prosecutor said June 2.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Danielle “Pieper” Chio said a member of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang was killed in April in San Bernardino, California, and the killing may have led to the May 29 shooting on Interstate 11/U.S. Highway 95.

“So the concern is that there’s retaliatory shootings going back and forth between the two jurisdictions and between the two clubs,” Chio said during a hearing June 2 in Henderson Justice Court.

Russell Smith, 26, Stephen Alo, 46, and Richard Devries, 66, have been charged with conspiracy to commit murder, six counts of attempted murder with a deadly weapon, six counts of battery with a deadly weapon and six counts of discharging a gun at or into an occupied structure, court records show.

The Hells Angels bikers are accused of opening fire on members of the rival Vagos gang after the Fly Your Flags Over Hoover Dam event that ended at the Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Boulder City.

The three suspects appeared in court June 2, and Justice of the Peace David Gibson Sr. set bail for each at $380,000.

On Friday, June 3, Devries, identified as the president of the Las Vegas chapter of the Hells Angels in a Henderson Police Department arrest report, filed a petition to be granted a lower bail.

His defense attorney, Richard Schonfeld, had initially asked for a bail of $50,000. Schonfeld argued June 2 that a higher bail was not necessary because Devries has a stable employment history, has lived in Las Vegas for 19 years, has no prior criminal history, and is an honorably discharged military veteran.

“It is respectfully submitted that the Justice Court’s bail setting of $380,000 is an amount that is excessive and tantamount to no bail, which is a violation of both the Nevada Constitution and the United States Constitution,” Schonfeld wrote in the petition filed in District Court.

Prosecutors initially asked for a $1 million bail for each of the defendants, while defense attorneys argued that Hells Angels were granted lower bails in other, high-profile cases involving the group.

Gibson said he felt a high bail was appropriate in order to prevent future violence.

“I can’t predict the future, but I can kind of control it,” he said.

Schonfeld said he has not seen any “concrete allegations” that Devries was personally involved in the shooting.

“Mr. Devries maintains his innocence and we will address the allegations at the future court proceedings,” Schonfeld said in a statement June 2.

Alo and Smith are described in the arrest report as prospects for the chapter.

According to the report, the prospects also caused problems at the cemetery, where they revved their engines and set off car alarms during a Memorial Day ceremony.

Police said the Vagos members were riding north on U.S. Highway 95 near Wagon Wheel Drive when multiple Hells Angels members pulled up next to them. Some of the Hells Angels riders tried to kick a Vagos rider over, and one Hells Angels member “stood up on their motorcycle and started shooting,” the report said.

Prosecutors said about 15 shots were fired, and stray bullets were shot across the freeway. Chio said one of the stray bullets struck a car parked in front of a church.

Six of the Vagos riders were injured, along with a member of the Hells Angels.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.

Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook.
THE LATEST
Community pride on full display

A mixture of lime, paint and water was used to touch up the city landmark, which saw the B first painted in 1985 and two years later the C by BCHS students. It had been 10 years since the last time it was touched up. Event organizer Bret Runion said he was pleased with the turnout and hopes to see even more assist in future years.

It’s official: STRs banned in BC

For an issue that has caused so much local uproar for more than a year, the question of whether Boulder City should formalize the informal-but-still-binding ban on short-term rentals (STR) within city limits ended with more of a whimper than a bang Tuesday as the City Council voted 4-1 to adopt text changes to city code clarifying that the practice is illegal and establishing a system of civil fines for STR owners who continue to operate.

A busy Saturday in Boulder City

Saturday proved to be a very busy day in Boulder City as events included repainting of the BC on Radar Mountain (see page 2 for photos), as well as the city’s Easter Egg Hunt at Wilbur Square, Flowfest and the popular goat yoga class at Bicentennial Park and the Injured Police Officers Fund car show at Veterans’ Memorial Park.

To chip or not to chip?

In its second time at the plate, as it were, the proposal by Boulder City Councilmember Cokie Booth to require that pets within BC be microchipped ended up with a lot of people talking about maybe taking a swing at the ball but no one actually doing so.

Council candidate slate set

A total of seven candidates for city council and three candidates for justice of the peace of Boulder Township will face off in the primary election scheduled for June 11.

Ultrarunner to push himself to the limit

It’s not uncommon for friends or even family members to try and best one another whether that be athletics, academics or relationships.

Vets home hit with 18 citations

In a recent unannounced inspection, the Southern Nevada State Veterans’ Home was cited 18 times for issues ranging from verbal abuse of a patient to failing to provide meals at an appropriate temperature, to employees not having keys to locked gates, which would be needed in the case of an emergency evacuation.

BDCU looks back on past year at annual meeting

For more than eight decades, the Boulder Dam Credit Union has been the most popular place for Boulder City residents to do their banking, not to mention see friends and neighbors.

Top o’ the evening to ya

Photos by Ron Eland/Boulder City Review

BC repaint: Countdown is on

It’s almost time to don that old pair of jeans, the ratty tennis shoes in the back of your closet and a shirt you’re not worried about ruining.