Las Vegas attorney kills 2, self in Summerlin law office shooting: sources

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Three people are dead following a shooting Monday morning in a law office in a building near the Red Rock resort in Summerlin, according to Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill.

Sources told the 8 News Now Investigators that the victims are Las Vegas attorney Dennis Prince and his wife, Ashley Prince. Sources also identified the shooter as Las Vegas attorney Joe Houston II.

Prominent Las Vegas attorney, wife killed in law office shooting: sources

The shooting happened in the Prince Law Group’s fifth-floor office during a child custody deposition involving Prince’s wife and her ex-husband, whom sources identified as Houston’s son and whom he was also representing. Prince and his wife recently had a child together.

Records show Dylan Houston filed for divorce from then-named Ashley Houston in 2021.

Police received a call of a shooting shortly after 10 a.m. inside a business in the 10800 block of Charleston Boulevard near Pavilion Center Drive.

On Monday afternoon, LVMPD Lt. Jason Johansson said seven people were in the room during the deposition. Joe Houston targeted his two victims, Johansson said, without identifying the shooter or the victims.

Police were searching Joe Houston’s home on Monday evening near Buffalo Drive and Desert Inn Road, Johansson said without identifying the shooter.

“The suspect was not killed by police. We believe he took his own life,” McMahill added Monday afternoon.

Police were searching the suspected shooter’s car, which was parked in a garage on the property, McMahill said earlier in the day. Metro officers went through the building, clearing it and searching for any further threat.

“As you can imagine we have a five or six-story building. We have people that are hunkered down following active shooter protocols. We’re going door by door and making sure everybody in there is OK and evacuating them,” McMahill said.

“With profound sadness, Prince Law Group would like to thank everyone who has reached out to us with heartfelt messages of concern and sympathy over the tragic violence that occurred this morning in our offices,” a spokesperson for the law group said Monday evening. “We ask that you please respect the privacy of the families involved.”

Prince’s former law partner, Robert Eglet, described Prince as a wonderful father to four children. He said his death was “not just a loss to his family, but also to the community.”

“We are deeply saddened by the devastating news of the passing of Dennis Prince, a distinguished attorney who was regarded as one of the finest in our state,” Prince’s friend Tom Letizia, a political consultant, said. “Dennis was not only a close friend of mine but also a respected figure within our legal community, whose absence has left us all in mourning. The news of this tragedy has profoundly shocked me and our entire community.”

The State Bar of Nevada also released a statement saying, “The State Bar of Nevada is shocked by the tragic events of the multiple shootings this morning in a Summerlin law office. The shootings are terrible and heartbreaking.”

The bar was offering therapy sessions and trauma response counseling, a spokesperson said. Those looking for services can call 1-866-828-0022.

Shooting witnesses and other building employees were taken to Red Rock Casino Resort where they were provided with assistance and victim services.

Charleston Boulevard was closed, in both directions, from Red Rock Drive past Pavilion Center Drive but reopened to traffic around 12:30 p.m. Police were asking the public to avoid the area due to the heavy police presence.

Metro police completed its crime scene processing and turned the Summerlin office building back over to the management company Monday night, 8 News Now Investigator sources confirmed.

Those needing victim services can call 702-455-AIDE (2433).

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