Police say a separated husband forced his way into his wife’s apartment before the couple’s daughters later discovered both parents dead.
LAS VEGAS, NV — Two daughters returning home from school found their mother and father dead inside an east Las Vegas apartment after what police described as a murder-suicide involving a recently separated married couple.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department communications received a report at about 3:40 p.m. Monday, Aug. 24, of two people shot inside an apartment in the 4900 block of South Nellis Boulevard. Officers found a woman and a man suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. Medical personnel pronounced both dead at the scene, according to a police department statement released Tuesday.
Police said homicide detectives determined that the man shot his wife and then himself. The couple had recently separated. Their names had not been publicly released by police as of Thursday, and the Clark County coroner is responsible for formally identifying the dead and determining their causes and manners of death.
Lt. Robert Price told reporters during a police briefing that investigators believe the husband went to the apartment earlier in the day, forced his way inside and waited for his wife to return. Police believe he shot her after she arrived and then died by suicide. Authorities have not announced a motive.
One of the couple’s daughters, described by police as a teenager, called 911 after coming home from school and finding her parents shot, Price said. Police said the couple had two daughters who made the discovery. A guardian later arrived to care for the children. Authorities have not released identifying information about the girls.
Officers who reached the apartment attempted to provide aid until medical personnel arrived, according to police accounts of the response. Both adults were pronounced dead at the scene. Police have released no indication that either daughter was physically injured.
The police department’s written statement described the case as an ongoing homicide investigation. Although detectives have announced their preliminary conclusion about what happened, the department has not released additional information about what led to the shooting or whether officers had previously responded to incidents involving the couple.
The shooting happened along South Nellis Boulevard near East Tropicana Avenue in the eastern Las Vegas Valley. Police said the investigation remains with the department’s Homicide Section as detectives continue gathering information about the deaths.
As of Thursday, authorities had not publicly announced the parents’ identities or a motive. The coroner’s findings and any further information released by homicide detectives are expected to provide the official record of the deaths as the investigation continues.
Author note: Last updated August 27, 2026.