Attempted Shooting During Burglary Foiled by Malfunctioning Gun, Report Says

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A Nevada man who is accused of burglarizing his ex-girlfriend’s house and nearly shooting the woman’s son and her son’s wife made his preliminary appearance in Lewis County Superior Court on Wednesday.

Lafayette D. Green, 48, of Henderson, Nevada, was charged with first-degree burglary and three counts of second-degree assault in June.

The alleged incident occurred on June 13, however, law enforcement was unable to find Green until Tuesday, when he was arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail on a warrant, according to the jail log.

The affidavit of probable cause gives the following account of the alleged incident:

On June 13, a Lewis County Sheriff’s deputy responded to a reported burglary at a residence on Centralia Avenue. 

At the residence, the deputy spoke with the woman’s boyfriend, her son and her son’s wife, who all live at the house, and said Green, who was formerly dating the woman, came into the residence demanding to know where his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend was, saying he was “not playing a game.”

The woman’s son and his wife told Green they did not know where they were and Green allegedly pulled out a firearm, they told police.

Green allegedly pulled out a pistol, pointed it at the two and pulled the trigger, however, the gun seemingly malfunctioned because they observed Green clearing the firearm after hearing a click from the trigger and a bullet discharged from the side port, which police were able to recover after the 9-millimeter bullet had been located by one of the household members.

A relative of one of the alleged victims was also at the house but in a separate room when Green reportedly pulled the trigger. She entered the room while the son and his wife were being held at gunpoint and Green also pointed the gun at her, but shortly thereafter exited the residence and walked away.

Police contacted Green’s ex-girlfriend who stated she wasn’t home at the time of the incident, but she had dated Green and ended their relationship several months prior. The woman explained to police that Green had become extremely jealous when she broke up with him.

She added that Green told her that he was never going to leave her life and that she wasn’t allowed to date anyone else. Green reportedly continued to harass the woman after they broke up.

Law enforcement reportedly attempted to track Green with a K-9 unit, which led them to an abandoned residence, but were not able to locate him inside. Further attempts to locate Green were also unsuccessful.

In court on Wednesday, Deputy Prosecutor Paul Masiello requested bail for Green to be maintained at $100,000 from the warrant he was arrested on while Green’s attorney for the day, Peter Tiller, argued bail should be substantially lower at $10,000.

Judge James Lawler sided with the state and maintained bail at $100,000 while also issuing no-contact orders to protect the alleged victims and an order for Green to surrender all of his firearms if he should be released from custody.

Green is scheduled to be arranged on Aug. 20.