Police: Convicted killer shot neighbor as victim’s sons waited for their dad

The Tuesday night killing of a father in east Las Vegas was carried out in his driveway as his two sons waited in the family home for their dad to return home from work, according to a newly released arrest report in the case.

Alexian Rodriguez-Navar — a 25-year-old with a prior manslaughter conviction in the killing of a Las Vegas teen just 10 years ago — was arrested at the scene of the shooting in the 5700 block of East Pavot Court, near East Sahara Avenue and Hollywood Boulevard, at around 5 p.m.

The victim of the shooting was identified Thursday in a Metropolitan Police Department arrest report as Rasham Sylvester. Homicide Lt. Robert Price said previously that Rodriguez-Navar and Sylvester were in what was described as a dispute between neighbors in the weeks leading up to the shooting.

According to the arrest report for Rodriguez-Navar, Sylvester’s two sons, ages 14 and 17, were home at the time of the killing, playing video games, as they waited for their dad to return from work.

“They noticed through a window that their father had arrived home,” police wrote in the report. “They were waiting to hear the front door open but suddenly heard gunshots. After the shooting, the juveniles looked outside and saw their neighbor ‘Alex’ holding a gun.”

One of the boys told police it looked like the gunman was coming toward their home, so they fled into a bedroom and locked themselves inside until they were found by police.

“The juveniles stated they knew ‘Alex’ because he had been their neighbor for a long time and their parents sometimes talked with him,” police said.

A portion of the killing was captured on Sylvester’s video surveillance system.

“The video showed Rasham walking on his driveway with a backpack and a set of keys in his hand,” police said. “Rasham looked across the street briefly as the shooting began. Rasham tried to flee into his residence, but was struck by gunfire and collapsed on his front porch. The video captured a male that appeared to be Alexian then come from around a vehicle and shoot several more times at Rasham striking him.”

Sylvester died at the scene. Details of what motivated the killing were not elaborated on in the report.

A witness told police she saw Rodriguez-Navar carrying a rifle in the moments after shots rang out. The man briefly walked away, then returned to “look at the person he shot,” police said.

Rodriguez-Navar has a prior manslaughter conviction and is prohibited from possessing firearms, police said in the report.

Court records show Rodriguez-Navar was arrested in April 2016 in Las Vegas on 18 different felony counts, including murder, attempted murder, assault and conspiracy. Las Vegas Review-Journal news archives, along with court records, indicate Rodriguez-Navar’s arrest stemmed from a melee, stabbing and shooting near the Hollywood Recreation Center that killed Angelo Barboza, 15, and left four others injured.

Rodriguez-Navar was 15 at the time.

District Court records show Rodriguez-Navar entered into a plea agreement in the 2016 case. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit battery, battery and voluntary manslaughter with use of a deadly weapon. He was sentenced in December 2016 to two years of incarceration followed by five years of probation.

Following his arrest Tuesday, Rodriguez-Navar invoked his right to an attorney. He was ordered held without bail during a brief court appearance in Las Vegas Justice Court on Wednesday.

Contact Glenn Puit at gpuit@reviewjournal.com.