Surveillance video captures death of Las Vegas man during armed robbery
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Two men accused of murder during an armed robbery appeared in court Thursday.
Prosecutors said three males, including two teens, followed the victim and his friends from a check cashing business before killing one of the men.
Both 19-year-old Daniel Meza-Ortega and 21-year-old Ervin Ortega-Rodriguez were arraigned in Clark County District Court.
“One count conspiracy to commit robbery. Three counts robbery with the use of a deadly weapon. One count murder with use of a deadly weapon,” Judge Carli Kierny read in court on Thursday, listing some of the charges.
They are each facing 16 criminal charges and entered their pleas of not guilty.
This stems from a Jan. 26 robbery near Maryland Parkway and Tropicana Avenue. A 16-year-old was also arrested.
Surveillance video 8 News Now obtained captures three men leaving a check cashing business.
According to grand jury testimony, Ortega-Rodriguez told police, “Basically surveil some people at a check cashing place. They then followed them. The plan was to follow them and rob them.”
The victims were followed to an apartment building.
A few minutes later, the video showed Meza-Ortega and Ortega-Rodriguez hop out of a car and start walking toward the group.
Fast forward and a foot chase takes place after the robbery.
Video captured the moments Meza-Ortega fired multiple shots. Juan Negron-Mex died at the scene.
An exchange involving an investigator during grand jury testimony revealed that both suspects admitted their crimes.
“So [Meza-Ortega] admits he shot at both people?”
“That’s correct,” said the investigator.
“How many times did he say he shot these people as far as he remembers?”
“I don’t recall the specific number but it was multiple shots.”
Another man, Mario Javier Mex-Redondo, was also shot but lived. He told a grand jury where he was injured.
“In my stomach.”
“How many times were you shot?”
“At that time, I just felt one but when I woke up in the hospital they mentioned that I got hit three times.”
Mex-Redondo underwent surgery on his stomach, liver, lung and ribs.
Both Daniel Meza-Ortega and Ervin Ortega-Rodriguez are due back in court on May 23.
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