Las Vegas Man Accused of Shooting at Neighbor for Being Gay
75-year-old Larry Walraven allegedly fired four rounds of ammunition at his neighbor while yelling anti-gay slurs.
A Las Vegas man allegedly shot at his neighbors for being gay. Larry Walraven, 75, has been charged with assault with a deadly weapon with a hate crime enhancement. According to charging documents, Walraven reportedly targeted his neighbors due to their sexual orientation.
On April 25, one of the neighbors was standing outside his house, just north of downtown Las Vegas, when Walraven approached him, holding a black revolver and pointing it at him.
Walraven fired four rounds at the victim, but, luckily, none of the rounds made contact with him.
Walraven then allegedly said, “I’m going to kill you [expletive] f*****s.” He also said, “I hope you f*****s die” during the attack, according to charging documents.
Officers with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department later arrested Walraven and identified the weapon as a BB gun.
While in custody Walraven allegedly told officers “he had no clue what happened” and claimed to have been inside all night, taking care of his mother.
Walraven was on parole for a habitual criminal offense when the shooting took place, according to CBS affiliate KLAS. Because he violated his parole by being charged with another crime while on release, he will remain in custody, without bail, pending trial.
Under Nevada law, assault with a deadly weapon can be punished with a term of one to six years in jail, a fine of no more than $5,000, or both.
If convicted on the hate crime enhancement, Walraven could potentially face additional prison time or harsher penalties on top of those for the assault.
He is next scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on May 15.
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