Las Vegas man accused in ‘ghost gun’ shooting spree could serve up to 87 years in prison
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A young man accused of taking part in a shooting spree that injured several people could serve up to 87 years in prison as part of a plea deal.
Luis Ruiz, 20, could serve the rest of his life in prison, documents said. If a judge accepts the deal, Ruiz could be eligible for parole after 19-and-a-half years.
Ruiz agreed to plead guilty to charges of robbery with the use of a deadly weapon, and attempted murder with the use of a deadly weapon, among other charges stemming from the incidents last year.
Ruiz and his codefendant, Lawrence Ishii, 19, are accused of shooting four people in a series of crimes involving at least five different scenes and a ghost gun, Las Vegas Metro police wrote in documents the 8 News Now Investigators reviewed last year.
Officers took the two men into custody on Sept. 23, 2022, at a home near St. Louis and Wyoming avenues, not far from the shooting scenes, they said. Inside the home, police found a black Polymer firearm without a serial number.
In a case filed in 2021, police charged Ruiz with carrying a concealed gun, possessing a gun as a child and resisting a public officer. Records show Ruiz was in high school at the time. Ruiz was let out of jail on a previous gun charge before skipping court and allegedly injuring several people with a ghost gun, police said.
Judge Karen Bennett-Haron released Ruiz on his own recognizance without requiring bail. Prosecutors had argued for Ruiz to have a monitoring bracelet, but Bennett-Haron denied their request, court records showed.
Records show only the concealed carry charge moved to district court. Ruiz later took a plea deal on a charge of attempted carry of a concealed weapon. As part of that deal, Ruiz would serve 1-4 years in prison, but Ruiz failed to show up for his March sentencing.
Ruiz was expected to be sentenced on Nov. 9.
Though court records do not indicate a judge set bail, Ruiz did not appear in jail logs as an inmate at the Clark County Detention Center.
A guilty plea agreement for Ishii was filed under seal. He was scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 7.
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