Left inset: Rasham Sylvester (GoFundMe). Right inset: Alexian Rodriguez-Navar in court (KTNV/YouTube). Background: The home where Alexian Rodriguez-Navar allegedly opened fire on his neighbor, Rasham Sylvester, and killed him (KLAS/YouTube).
Two Nevada teens "noticed through a window" that their dad arrived home from work and were "waiting to hear the front door open" when he was gunned down in his own driveway by his neighbor, cops say.
Rasham Sylvester, 42, of Las Vegas, was fatally shot Tuesday afternoon, Sept. 22, in front of a home on the 5700 block of East Pavot Court near East Sahara Avenue and Hollywood Boulevard, according to local police.
An arrest report obtained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal says Sylvester's neighbor, Alexian Rodriguez-Navar, 25, used a rifle to kill him while Sylvester's two sons, ages 14 and 17, were inside his home playing video games and waiting for him to come inside.
"They noticed through a window that their father had arrived home," the arrest report says. "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 investigators Rodriguez-Navar appeared to be heading toward their house after the shooting. The brothers immediately ran into a bedroom and locked themselves inside, where they remained until police found them.
The teens said they knew Rodriguez-Navar because he had lived nearby for years and their parents sometimes spoke with him. Sylvester's wife told police that "there's been multiple issues with them" in reference to Rodriguez-Navar and Sylvester, according to the arrest report.
Sylvester's home surveillance system caught video of Sylvester walking up his driveway with a backpack and a set of keys in his hand before Rodriguez-Navar allegedly opened fire. Sylvester was trying to make it inside when he was struck by gunfire and collapsed on his front porch.
Rodriguez-Navar was allegedly caught on video emerging from behind a vehicle and firing several more shots at Sylvester, striking him again, according to the arrest report. Sylvester died at the scene.
His wife was at work when she learned her husband had been shot and called 911 while rushing home. She told the dispatcher that her two sons were inside the house and were "freaking out."
"One is 17 and the other is 14," she said. "They are in the house freaking out right now. They are there. I don't know if they will answer."
A witness told police she saw Rodriguez-Navar carrying a rifle immediately after the shots were fired. He briefly walked away before returning to "look at the person he shot," according to the arrest report.
Rodriguez-Navar was arrested at the scene. He is charged with first-degree murder, discharging a gun into an occupied structure or vehicle, and possessing a gun by a prohibited person.
Rodriguez-Navar has a manslaughter conviction on his record and is prohibited from possessing firearms, according to police.
Court records show Rodriguez-Navar was arrested in 2016 when he was 15 in connection with a deadly melee near the Hollywood Recreation Center, according to the Review-Journal. The incident left a 15-year-old dead and four others injured.
Rodriguez-Navar later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit battery, battery and voluntary manslaughter with use of a deadly weapon. He was sentenced to two years in prison followed by five years of probation in December 2016.
Rodriguez-Navar was ordered held without bail.
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